Into the Dark
by 0-Tengatsu-0
Summary: Okay, so you know how every story has a beginning? Yeah, same thing goes for Remnant. Nobody really knows about it, save for a select few people, but it's far back enough that nobody even remembers it. Though do you even wonder what happens when one decides to copy-and-paste bits from the beginning and put it in the middle? Well, you get an ASS-LOAD of changes, I'll tell you that!
1. Legends Scattered

( **A:N. Hey there, people of the internet, this is literally my first ever story that I've been planning for about two years. Man, I've really got to thank everyone who supported me throughout the production of this story, crappy or not. In the case you haven't realized, this is an AU, and this story takes inspiration from ParagonDS's Dark Souls/RWBY story and NeoNazo356's Giant-Slayer story, both of which are incredible, I suggest you all check them out. This isn't in the crossover section because A)This is an AU and B) Nobody every looks at the crossover section, or at least a very small number of people do. Anyway, on with the show! Constructive criticism is welcome here. The first chapter to this series will be fairly short, but I promise that of this gets any significant wind, you'll be seeing longer chapters if that's necessary.)**

 **DISCLAIMER: The only thing that I really own in this story are my OC characters. All other property belongs to their respective owners, music, characters, and otherwise.**

-[Into The Dark]-

Legends scattered

Meet team RWBY!

Ruby Rose POV

You know, when I woke up this morning, I didn't expect today to be all that normal. I guess that's kinda to be expected, y'know, with the whole 'I'm going to be a huntress to save the world from Grimm and make it a better place!' kinda speech that I normally say. Today was _completely_ out of the norm. It was a late Saturday morning, and all of us were just looking forward to a normal, fun, possibly relaxing day. Most of us anyway...

"Look, all I'm saying is that we should train more," Yang tried to argue.

"Funny, coming from the girl with bruised ribs," Blake shot back without mercy.

Yang clutched at her side dramatically, a look of fake horror on her face. "Why kitty-cat, you wound me! How could you say something so offensive like that to an injured, innocent woman?" Weiss snorted, quickly looking at something on her scroll. ""You admit you're injured, but you're anything but innocent." We all burst out into laughter at that."Fair enough," Yang sighed, somewhat miffed. I grinned at put my hand on her shoulder. "If you want, we can train later!" Weiss and Blake groaned, their shoulders sagging, a single comically large drop of sweat on their face. Yang silently gave me a high-five, and all of a sudden, everyone froze.

"Hey... you guys _feel that,_ right?" Blake asked, her ears frantically twitching under her bow. "Blake, lemme tell you, I can taste that!" Yang replied, many of the people in the courtyard also sensing the sudden change in the air. Something was coming, and it was less than nice. Suddenly, there was a blue flash of lightning that threw us all back, landing in a tumble. We all looked up in shock at the glowing blue sphere of... was that aura? It was violently crackling with this concentrated energy that certainly felt like aura, but it was... older, almost ancient in a way. Just as we were trying to figure out what it was, a giant silver and blue mass was spat out of the sphere, and the ball vanished. The thing that was spat out however, flew through the air and slammed into the fountain in a spray of water and rocks, several people screaming in fright. We got up and slowly moved towards the thing, and as we got closer, we realized that it was human... ish. "Oh my Gods, is he eight feet tall?" Yang asked, leaning over him. She was right too, he was really tall, actually around nine feet. He was wearing some incredible-looking armor too, a shining silver chestplate, shoulder-guards, leggings, and an open-faced helmet with a very long black plume. However, his armor and clothes looked ragged, worn, and very badly wrecked, and the damage looked recent too.

His body looked very horribly injured, the rips in his shirt showing large gashes that had yet to be treated, every one of them bleeding. He also had a few cuts on his (surprisingly cute/handsome?) face, with a strong jawline, slightly boyish features, and a thick scar on his jaw. Then there was his sword... "Oh my Gods, that is an incredible sword," I whispered, my vision tunneling as I looked at it, still in his hand. It was around five-feet in length, a blade that was mainly black with pure silvery edges. The hilt was curved, surprisingly some dust crystals encrusted inside and the handle wrapped in beautiful black leather. "Ruby, stop dawdling around!" Weiss snapped, catching my attention.

"He's very badly injured, and needs be be taken to the Med-Bay as soon as possible." Yang nodded simply and walked up to him, grunting and lifting his entire body up without much effort. That's when the man suddenly woke up, taking in a big gasp of air. His dark eyes were looking around wildly, almost as if he was terrified. "Sir, you're very badly injured, so please try not to move too much," Blake said to him calmly. Very suddenly, he leaped out of Yang's arms, landing on the ground with a heavy **_THUD_** , his left arm swinging by his side almost uselessly. "S...stay away..." He wheezed, blood spurting from his mouth as he started to limp away from us. Yang shook off her shock and I ran forward with her. "Sir, please stay ca-!" I started, until his stomped a foot towards us, the ground shattering and a crack forming right where we were about to step, both of us stopping. The man had now planted his sword int the ground, the blade cutting through stone like butter as he ground his teeth, his eyes squeezed shut like he was in pain, but not from the wounds on his body.

"Whoever thou art..." He said with a strained voice, "Stay away from me!"

"Sir, please, we can help you!" Weiss tried to call out to him, but something even stranger happened. His aura started to manifest, but it didn't just feel or look like any other aura. Aura when it manifests, or becomes visible to other people, can bee seen in many different ways, be it like a flame, steam coming off the body, a sphere-like surrounding, or even in small pops like bubbles. For this, it was like a thick, dark-purple smog, the air around us smelling like rage, sadness, and something that made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand. "Get... away... **get away...!** " His voice got louder and louder with each word, growing darker and more sinister as his body started to shake violently. The smog surrounding him roiled violently as he looked up, his eyes now entirely black. " **Get away from me!** " He screamed in a voice that wasn't his, and leaped right at me, faster than I could react. His sword was cutting through the air, aiming for me. Yang, thankfully, was quick on the uptake, her gauntlets unfolding in a moment as she dashed in and punched the man right in the cheek, halting his momentum and sending him staggering to the side. "You guys go get your weapons, I'll hold him off!" Yang shouted, moving into her boxing stance, a grin on her face.

"Yang, you're still injured, and you want to fight that... guy?" Weiss asked, weary that he was looking at us without pain in is eyes. "You just get to your weapons and back me up, if your so worried, I'm just holding him off until on the Professors get here!" Yang said back, her eyes still set on the man in front of us.

'That was surprisingly well-thought-out for Yang,' I thought.

"Besides, this was just the fight I was itching for today!"

 _Aaand_ there it is. "Alright team, let's go get our weapons and come back! Team RWBY (besides Yang) move out!"

Yang's POV

The second Ruby and the others ran back into the school, the giant guy's head seemed to snap towards them, a mad snarl on his face (which was actually pretty handsome) formed as he tensed to leap over. "Nope, your fight is with me!" I shouted, leaping at him and swinging as hard as I could at his face, Ember going off with a loud BANG as it met his cheek. He staggered back a bit before looking right back at me, completely unharmed. 'No damage? Even with aura, he should be at least a bit disoriented!' I thought as he deftly swung his massive sword at me. Instinctively, I raised my hands to block, which was a massive mistake. The blade slammed into Ember Celica, his raw strength flinging me back like a toy. My body slammed into one of the pillars, violently crushing the air out of my body. I fell to the ground, gasping and wheezing for air as blood dripped out of my mouth. I looked at it in surprise, along with my shaking hands and forearms. 'He... he hits even harder than the Paladin ever did!' I watched him as he drunkenly stumbled towards me, his black aura billowing off of him as he picked up speed. My semblance has activated, power flowing through me as I stood back up, spitting the blood from my mouth. My hair glowed golden as flames billowed around me, my aura flaring up as I got into my stance again. 'Thank gods for my Semblance,' I thought with a small grin. "Alright, bring it on tough guy!" I shouted.

I sprinted at him, my hands up and my breathing deep and even. He screamed as he swung his sword overhead with blistering speed, the blade a black arc as it came down. I hopped to the side and shot a Flame-Dust round at a gap in his armor before rolling behind him to jump and knee him in the back. He growled this time as he was pushed back by my first real attacks, now with even more power behind it than ever before. He pivoted and swung wildly again, but I wasn't going to get caught by that move twice. I rolled under the swing, blasting at his leg. He hopped away, bouncing on his toes and stabbing at me this time. I punched the blade out of the way, but despite how insane he seemed, his skill was still their. He quickly went with it rather than losing control, pivoting smoothly and his blade whirling around like a tornado.

Just as he stopped to regain his balance, I ran forward at him, my hands in a tight guard as I weaved my head in a quick figure-eight motion; my signature move! "Auric Arte!" I shouted, flames flying off of my body as my right fist screamed through the air. "Sunlight Rush!" I roared slamming into his armored torso with all my might. He staggered again, surprise and pain on his face, his eyes actually clearing up for a split second. 'So if I hit him hard enough, I can knock him out of that state he's in. Time to give it my all!' Still weaving my body, I continued to punch left and right at him, the metal of his armor starting to give in with the constant _**BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG**_ of my fists on it. Just as I swung again, he let go of his sword, seeming to know that it wouldn't reach me this close and moved to punch me. I took it right on the cheek, my vision exploding into white, but I still kept on punching until his body was being jerked back and forth from each blow. Just as another left slammed into his side, he fell to a knee, coughing up a reeking mix of blood and vomit to the side, and thankfully not on my hair. "Time to finish this, whoever you are! Mystic Arte!" I shouted, my right fist being coated in golden fire, my power reaching its max. "SUNBREAKER!" I roared, slamming my own fist into his cheek, lifting him clean off the ground and sending his limp body into a light-pole with a CRASH, my strength fading as I fell to a knee, clutching at my ribs.

"Shit, I think I strained myself a bit too much this time," I muttered, taking a quick look at my scroll. "Holy crap, 21% from just two hits?" I muttered, my eyes wide open. "Who the hell is this guy...?" I looked up in time to see his eyes clear once again, looking at me in surprise. Come to think about it... he actually looked ind of malnourished. "Y-You... thank you..." He wheezed, trying to get up, only to growl in pain, his right arm cradling his... "Oh my gods, what happened to you!?" I shouted, running over as best I could to him. Is left arm was encased in some very ragged armor, but even that wasn't enough to hide how mangled his arm was. He hung his head, and tears formed in his eyes. "I'm... forgive me for being too weak..." He muttered, saying someone's name at the end that seemed to click in my mind. It sounded like 'Ciara' or something similar like that. All of a sudden, that black aura of his flared again, and his eyes widened, turning black before he squeezed them shut again, clutching at his head. "Agh... damn me... it's coming back...!" He groaned, his voice gaining a weird double-edge to it. "Girl, forgive me for not knowing your name, but please, I need you to knock me unconscious again." I looked at him in confusion before I understood. I was able to snap him out of whatever the hell was happening to him thanks to my raw strength, but I had completely exhausted myself using those Artes along with my still-healing ribs. Either way, I tried to muster as much aura as I could, raising it around my fist. Before I could even draw my fist back, his eyes were slowly turning dark. 'Come on, come on!' thought frantically. I was out of rounds in both gauntlets, so that wasn't an option, nor was trying to throw him.

"It's too late," He strained again. "Run from me, you do not have enough strength to finish me off!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" I snapped, still focusing on drawing more power. "You're in need of help, and I'm going to give it to you! Granted, not in the most convenient way..." I tried to joke.

He chuckled a bit in response before wincing in agony again. "You... need to run...!" He growled, pushing me away before freezing entirely. He looked up, and his aura billowed around him once again, a snarl on his face. 'Well shit.' Just as he was about leap at me, and ground my teeth and set my feet, ready to punch. Until Headmaster Ozpin seemed to arrive out of nowhere, walking calmly in front of me. "Thank you for your effort Miss Xiao Long, this will be noted in your second report. However," he said, pushing up his glasses with two fingers, his left had gripping his cane. "I believe it would be best to leave a threat like this to more... capable hands." I nodded, deciding to take that as a compliment. He calmly walked forward as the giant guy regarded him with what looked like curiosity before leaping at him. Suddenly, his cane seemed to instantly pierce through the thick metal armor, a loud POW sound echoing through the school as the giant was stopped dead in his tracks. The black smog was blown away, the murderous intent vanishing from him. His eyes were normal once more, blood gushing from several wounds and surprisingly little dripping from his mouth as he fell down face first, just in time as what seemed like the entire school came bursting out with weapons drawn.

* * *

? POV

'Hmm... this is actually... very peaceful,' I thought as I floated in the abyss that was my mind. I fell into sadness and self-loathing once again as It thought of my failures. Was that ass Ornstein alright? How was Gough faring, where ever he was thrown? And how was... how was my lover Ciaran doing? I was just about luck enough to survive Seathe throwing all four of us into this world, where ever this was. 'Damn you, you traitorous lizard, to think you'd find a way to create scales for yourself, ally with Manus, and defeat us...' Even though I didn't have a body in this state, I could feel my fists clench and tear swell in my eyes. 'Gough, Ornstein, and dear Ciaran... forgive me for being unable to avail you anything...' I had expected the abyssal taint to take over my mind again, feeding off of my negativity, but instead, I felt it almost harmonize in a way with me. Whatever the man with the cane had done, he somehow stole the abyss's grasp over me, and now... I felt as if I could control it. '...Thank you, stranger.'

I suddenly woke up with a gasp, coughing as I sat up and pounding my chest. After my coughing fit, I sighed and breathed in some unbelievably fresh air. I was in a clean, white room, an open window to the right of my bed, a small table and chair to the left. In the chair was none other than the silver-haired man, calmly sipping a cup of strong coffee, the smell reminding me of a time I shared with Ciaran... "I'm going to assume that the 'Purification Arte' I used on you worked?" he asked before handing me a cup of the beverage.

I sipped it and smiled, bowing my head at him. "Thank you, kind sir. For healing me." I had already noticed that all of my wounds had been stitched up and bandaged nicely, making me feel clean.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while until he asked, "You are not of this time, are you? Your size, aura, and armor indicate that much at least." I nodded and looked at him. "Kind sir, I want to tell you this. My story is not the most believable one."

He smiled once again, something cheeky in his eyes. "I think I can very well guess who you are, but go on."

I nodded again as turned to fully face him. "My name is Knight Artorias the Abyss-Walker, and I've been thrown forward into your time with my other friends, supposedly."

The man simply smiled again. "Just as I thought. My name is Professor Ozpin, and I have a proposition to make." I leaned forward, interested in this man. "Would you like to become a Professor at my school?"

 **To be continued (hopefully)...**


	2. The assassin, Ciaran

**A.N (And onto chapter two! Wow, to who left that Fav and Follow, thank you very much for doing that, it just great to see people who actually support what I'm doing, be it one or two people. To explain something beforehand, my OC team will appear in the later chapters, not just yet for plot reasons. Either way, enjoy!)**

 **-[Into the Dark]-**

Chapter 2

Enter Ciaran, the Assassin

Artorias POV

(2 weeks after the incident...)

"...So what you mean to say is, that this 'Dust' can be merged together?" I asked my newfound colleague Doctor Oobleck. In the three days that I've been in this new Lordran called 'Remnant' (an appropriate name for certain reasons) I have learned quite a large amount. How the Abyssal taint still exists in this world outside the safety of kingdoms in the form of Grimm, how Titanite is now called 'Dust', the use of aura and how it runs through every soulful thing on Remnant, myself included.

"Quite so!" the man spoke rapidly. "I myself am not the best when it come to using dust, but indeed you are correct when I say fuse! This is mainly possible through several chemical reactions causing the dust to therefore bond together, that you you can use aura to fuse it."

"Holdeth on for a minute," I interrupted. "Dust can be fused using aura? I thought that aura was only a defensive mechanism."

"Incorrect my dear legend!" Oobleck replied, holding a finger up. "While it is true that aura is mainly defensive, it has a wide range of other uses as well. It's strange to hear this question coming from you," he said, an eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Well, you have already unlocked your aura, that much is certain," he started to explain, pushing his glasses up. "However, your aura is use for nothing except pure attack. You have not yet managed to use your aura in a defensive way, but I mainly thinks that this boils down to your already _astounding_ natural durability. Aura itself is the main principle of some of the lost Martial Arts in our world, one such being the Five Ways, which include channeling, constructs, awakenings and so on. But enough of that."

The green-haired doctor put the book away, turning his chair to face me with a curious look on his face. "Artorias, I myself am a History teacher in Beacon, and to meet you in the flesh... well, that within itself could prove many, many stories about our lost past to be true. So I'd like to ask you... what was the past you came from like?"

I sighed as I leaned back into the sky, thinking back. "To be honest, while your advances in technology and crafts have been greatly improved, the situation itself has remained the same. The spread of the Abyss has been temporarily been halted, but its taint is still visible in the outside world. Hunters seek to rescue lives and slay these creatures with extreme prejudice, much like us knights did in the past. Of course, there's still a fair amount of tension between kingdoms, us being mortal and all."

Oobleck processed the information before asking, "Did magic exist back then? Sorcery, Necromancy, Fire-manipulation and whatnot?" I nodded simply, my mind going back to a time when I fought those threats.

"Indeed they did Doctor. In all honesty, magics like those are very simple, and in a way, they are not very different from aura, or a semblance. It is an outward manifestation of the soul, and is made into a more tangible form." The man was fascinated with my story, and to be honest, I found it amusing and fairly ironic. Technically, I was around twenty in appearance and maturity for a human (except I'm not so incredibly stupid like some twenty-year old men), while I was actually over one thousands years of age, and here I have a man who is barely a child in demigod years, but more mature than me, and listening to my story with a child-like excitement. 'Life works in very strange ways,' I thought happily, before frowning and hanging my head as my thoughts once again drifted into thoughts of my team and my... beloved, Ciaran.

Oobleck was far from blind to my change, and seemed to read me like a book. "I see you miss your friends," he spoke suddenly, his face looking serious. I was caught off guard by how easily he saw through my facade, and froze for a second. "If they are anything like you, in terms of combat at least, they will be completely fine, so long as they aren't thrown out in the badlands, such as the Red Desert in Vacuo. As a matter-of-fact, tell me a bit about them."

I smiled as I indulged in the happiest of times with my closest friends, parties, battles, quiet-times and all. "Well... as a start, there is my Captain Ornstein. Always the bragger, though he could back many, many claims up." I chuckled, a grin coming into my face. "No doubt, he's never the one to let a bad situation pull us down, and he'd always smile or laugh throughout anything, even if it gets him into a mess. There is also Gough, the wisest of us all. I'm not sure if it is because of his giant brain or something else, but he ensured that just a hint of sense went into things. Finally, there's my betrothed, Ciaran."

I felt tears spring into my eyes as my throat started to lock up, though I let them fall for her. "She was the meanest, ill-tempered, sharp-tongued, killer of us all. I absolutely loved her, and she to me." I tried to laugh, but it turned out as a sob. "She was also the kindest, caring, smartest and most beautiful girl I've ever gotten the privilege to fight, to live, and to love in the span of my life... and I..." My head made a slight thump sound as it touched the table. "And I didn't have the strength to hold her hand when she needed me the most. Literally too, now isn't that ironic?" I joked before I let all the tears flow freely as the Doctor comforted me with a kind smile, his eyes shining through his glasses, warmth in them. "Just let it all out my friend."

Yang

I grunted as I lifted the hundred-pound dumbbells, the weight beginning to get to me and soreness setting in. "Come on, just twenty more," I muttered, bringing them to my chest before hefting them above my head, repeating the process again. "How much more strength do you need?" Weiss asked, still running on the treadmill beside me, fatigue getting to her (she was never the best when it came to stamina). "A whole lot, if the stories that my dad are telling aren't just a myth." She looked at me, fairly interested, so I decided to explain.

"I talked to him over the phone right after the time I fought our new professor, mainly because my dad was pretty good at history, especially when it came to myths and legends. I asked him who the guy could possibly be, and after a while, he found out that..." I looked her dead in the eye (though she looked at me through the corner of hers), her treadmill now turned off as she leaned casually on the handlebar while drinking a bottle of water. "... the guy I fought is the Knight Artorias." She spat out what was in her mouth before looking me full in the face, her eyes hilariously wide open.

" _The_ Knight Artorias!? The same demigod who valiantly took up his sword and slew the first creatures of Grimm in humanity's time of need, and even injured the supposed 'Lord Grimm' himself?" I both grinned and cringed as I signaled to Weiss all the people who saw her outburst, but thankfully didn't understand what she was saying, aside from this one person who was dressed in a dark-blue hooded and worn cloak, most of her face hidden by the cowl, though her head seemed to come up a bit when Weiss shouted.

Said heiress turned red and grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me into the gym's changing room. "You mean to say," she started. "That not only is Professor 'A' you fought that same Knight, but you also managed to knock down?" I shrugged, tapping my finger before wincing and rubbing my bicep.

"Ow, I think that we're done here," I groaned, finally giving in to fatigue and slumping over a bit as I walked over to my locker and getting Ember Celica out, strapping them to my wrists. Weiss sighed, her fatigue also pretty visible (if her red face and sweat-matted hair meant anything at least) as she went to towel off and collect her stuff. Someone had entered the locker-room, so I naturally tuned my head to look and blinked lazily.

The next second, there was a pure golden dagger pointed at my throat, the same cloaked woman holding it and looking at me with a beautiful pale face and pure moonlight irises surrounded by black pools. "Oh come on..." I sighed as I saw the furious expression on the woman's face. "Can we talk about whatever you're mad about after I take a break?" I asked.

Blake

(Just outside...)

"Do you think that they're just finishing up?" I asked the Red Reaper.

"Most likely not, knowing my sis, she's probably turning purple trying to do an extra-hundred of whatever she does."

"Aaand what does she do?"

Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes as she breathed out. "One hundred push-ups, sit-ups, squats, bench-presses, you name it, Yang does it. At least, she's been doing it for the past few months. "

I grinned and pat our leader's shoulder. "She's been getting pretty serious when it comes to combat, you know that Ruby. I mean, it's the Vytal Festival Tournament we're talking about here, one of the biggest combat events in Remnant to date. I understand that you and Yang might be getting less family time because of it, but you should know that Yang's training for our team's sake, alright?" She nodded, wiping away her annoyed expression and going back to her cheerful one. Just as she turned back to normal, there was a loud _CRASH_ of glass from the gym, Yang flying out of the window and slamming into me while Weiss slammed into Ruby, all four of us landing in a sprawl. "O-Ow... hey Rubes, sup Blake!" she said in a tired voice.

"Yang!? Weiss!? Are you two alright- you know what, stupid question, what happened?" She asked as we helped them, up, both of their weapons ready. Weiss simply pointed back at the broken window of the gym, a cloaked figure calmly leaping through it, landing on the ground shakily. In her hands were two super-sharp and super cool looking daggers, one gold and one a combination of silver and black.

"Whatever you do," Weiss started wobbling on her feet a bit, "Don't get hit by either of her weapons. That golden dagger of hers causes wounds that aura has a hard time healing, and her silver one seems to be poisoned." I looked at the woman who was slowly advancing on us, shakily almost, but her body-language was that of a person who wanted to beat us black-and-blue. "You two stay back," Ruby said to the Ice and Fire of our team as she unfurled her giant Sniper-Scythe while I took out Gambol Shroud.

The woman clearly saw our weapons, but didn't even flinch, coming at us with a jog. "Time to blitz her, Ladybug!" Ruby shouted, both of us exploding into action. We weren't wearing combat-clothes, but they were more than good enough for free movement and fighting in an emergency like this one. I was wearing a simple black jacket, grey blouse, dark-blue jeans and my boots while Ruby was wearing a red hoodie, black t-shirt and black shorts with pure-white sneakers. Like I said, not armor or combat clothing, but good enough for free movement. Ruby and I sprinted at her trying to give her no space with constant attacks from left, right and center, but this woman was good, really good.

She barely wasted energy, swaying slightly to the side and flicking her weapons before lashing out, a golden streak blazing through the air. Me being me, I quickly leaped out of the way, the blade just scratching my face. I didn't think mach about it at first, until blinding pain swept through the small cut. "Blake, you alright!?" Ruby shouted before rushing to my side, the barrel of her rife pointed at the woman. I ground my teeth and took my hand away from my face, surprised from the blood almost pouring from the wound, my aura visibly agitated as it tried to heal the wound.

"Y-yeah..." I said as the pain suddenly vanished, she wound healing itself. 'That small cut cost a lot of aura to heal... damn, Yang was right,' I thought, getting back up. Ruby and I were getting ready to attack her from the sides, she woman suddenly stopped, lowering her daggers before dropping them onto the ground. "Who are you to know of Artorias?"She directed the questions to Yang and Weiss. "...Why should we trust a woman _who just tried to kill us_ with any kind of info?" The woman hesitated before letting the cloak fall off of her face, fully revealing herself. "My name is Ciaran, and Artorias just so happens to be my fiance."

* * *

Artorias

(Roughly one hour later...)

"As for regarding the Lords," I stated, using a stick to point towards a rough sketch of Lord Gwyn, "While there are many religions in Remnant which are essentially descendants of older religions worshiping them, these beings are simply powerful humans." Just as I finished, the bell had rung loudly, my extra tutor-class coming to a closing. "Any more questions before you leave?" I asked, and one boy, who was blonde and blue-eyed, asked, "How is it that you're so knowledgeable with this stuff Professor 'A'?" I hesitated before I smiled and replied, "I have my sources, young Jaune."

As the last of the students filed out of my class, I sighed and sat in my chair. 'The fact that being eight feet tall in this world is uncommon but not non-existent was one of the only things hiding my real identity, that along with the girl with golden hair, and that when I had lost my mind, I was wearing my helmet which covered my face from practically everyone else,' I thought with a hint of worry.

When I was introduced to the students a week ago, I had been fed and put back into shape again, thankfully, and none of them recognized be besides those four girls, and they kept quiet about that too. 'Maybe they have secrets of their own? Bah, it is not my place to snoop in the lives of others.' Just as I finished up the thought, there was a knock at my door. "Come in!" I said loudly. To my surprise, it was the four girls I was just thinking about, all dressed in Red, White, Black and Yellow. "Um, hi Professor A," Ruby greeted me.

"Hello there Miss Rose, how may I help you? Do you need notes from when you fell asleep in class yesterday?" I joked, the girl turning as red as her clothing. The other three laughed, Yang patting her on the shoulder. It was then I took in their appearance. Their clothes had several cuts and gashes, and the one in black and grey, Blake, had a band-aid on her face. "What happened to you four?" I asked, instinctively getting up and checking on them. "That's what we wanted to come to you about," the one in white, Weiss said. "You can come in now!"

A fairly tall figure walked into the room, this all-too familiar aura around the person, who I sensed was a woman by the familiar way she walked. She slowly brought her hands up to her cloaked face before pulling it back... and my heart stopped. "C...Ciaran?" She continue to be composed for roughly half a second before tears welled into her eyes, a smile breaking out on that beautiful face of hers. "Hello love." I leaped at her and lifted her up in a tight embrace, both of us laughing and crying in tandem. "Don't let me go," Ciaran whispered through her sobbing. "Never again. That's a promise."

She wiped her tears away, her cheeks slightly reddening as she leaned in, her eyes closing. I repeated the action, our lips meeting soundly, a surge of real warmth flowing through me. 'Gods, I missed you so much,' I thought, hugging her tighter. As we parted, I adored her smile before I turned red and whispered, "Oh, um... were are not alone." Ciaran also turned beet red and we both looked at the team of girls. Ruby had turned red, Yang had taken a picture of us using her scroll, Blake had an eyebrow raised and Weiss was fanning herself. "So," I said weakly. "This is my fiance, Ciaran." She chuckled weakly. "Likewise to my fiance Artorias," She said. I looked back and forth at Ciara and the four girls before staring at Ciaran. "What?" She asked. "...you attacked them, didn't you?" I had a grin on my face, which only grew wider as she turned her head away, pouting in embarrassment. "Maybe a bit." I burst in laughter, almost falling to the floor. 'At least there is hope... Gough and Ornstein, you'd better be alive!'

To be continued...


	3. A new Transfer Team?

**A.N (** **'Supergrifford'** **To answer your question I didn't put my story in the crossover section mainly because 1) This is an AU, or alternate universe, and 2) I feel as if not many people look in the crossover section as much as a mainstream section. Hence the reason why I made this an AU. Thank you for your question, and enjoy the next chapter, where we now introduce my Original Characters, or OC team!)**

-(Into the Dark)-

Chapter 3

A new transfer Team?

Ciaran

"I'm somewhat worried at the prospect of being a combat teacher," I told the 'technically-older-than-me-but-not-really' combat teacher, Mrs. Glynda Goodwitch. The woman was quite imposing, despite being slightly shorter than me, her green eyes very piercing and her stance just as strict as my own. Despite that, we got along surprisingly well. "My skills are already high enough to a point where even if I hold hold back, I may injure someone."

She fixed me with a cold eyebrow-raise that actually reminded me of my mother's own. "That is why you will be wearing these," She said, holding up a pair of plain silver bracelets with what looked like two Purple Titanite crystals embedded into them. As I clipped them onto my wrists, I felt nothing special at first, until my entire body felt heavier. 'Enough to slow me down, but not enough to stop my movements, how interesting...'

"These gravity bracelets will serve as a form of restriction and training for you," She explained. "You have already become a very good combat instructor, and I would honestly hate it if you were to break the bond between teacher and student. I'm quite surprised that you are very accepting of us humans, the stories about you tend to state that you're... less thank kind towards us."

I smiled before laughing, laying a hand on her shoulder. "In truth, I am quite fond of _good_ people. It is the..." my mouth formed into a scowl, "Less desirable humans I am not fond of." Glynda smirked, returning the pat and saying, "I understand entirely. Anyway, you won't need to do any fighting today. Surprisingly, we are having a new transfer team from Haven Academy."

I nodded, interested in this new development. "Is there any information given on them?" I asked. "Not very much, though one thing is for sure. Most of the students won't like them." I raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Transfer students are considered to be troublesome or completely unwanted in combat schools, due to being rowdy, slacking off, or in this incredibly rare case, completely uncontrollable due to how powerful they are. The team, known as 'ROCK', are notorious in both their names and their combat abilities." I looked off into the distance, thinking. "How are their grades?" I asked. "Their lowest recorded grade was a B+, so I would say that it is most likely their control that needs some work."

I shrugged casually, walking with the lady to the teacher's lunch-room. "They say that, but compared to us, how bad can they really be?" I asked. Glynda seemed lost in thought for a few seconds before almost perfectly mimicking my shrug. "Fair point."

Ruby

"So, are you ready to meet the new transfer students?" Weiss asked, eating her food with her usual poise. "I hear that they're pretty strong, I wanna try fighting one of them!" Nora said in her indoor voice (which was more than loud enough for the outdoors). " Psh, I'll take on three of them," Yang replied. "So what if they're transfer students? They're students like us." Blake was naturally the one to speak up, still reading something. "Transfer students normally mean bad news," She explained to my sister. "Especially ones from Haven Academy." I turned to her, curious at what she meant. "Why Haven? It's a Hunter University just like Beacon."

"As you know Ruby, there are four Academies throughout Remnant. Haven, Atlas, Shade, and Beacon. Each school has its own reputation, Atlas having the most disciplined hunters, Shade with the most adaptable to any situation and Beacon with the most famous and versatile. However, Haven Academy had a record of sending out the strongest hunters into the field. It's normal for transfer students to come from places like Shade and even Beacon at times, but students from Haven, especially a full _Team_ nonetheless... come the think of it, that hasn't happened in at least _fifty years_."

Pyrrha, being from Mistral herself was very interested. "What is the team's name?" I quickly whipped out my scroll and checked my messages, looking for the one which Headmaster Ozpin sent out. "The name is team... Team R.O.C.K. Huh." Feeling something coming, I slowly looked at my sister, why was grinning insanely, all the blood draining from my face. "No... don't you dare..." I breathed. "Looks like they're gonna _ROCK_ the house!" Yang burst into cackling laughter, almost falling off of the bench. Everyone in earshot of the joke turned towards her, a deadpan expression on their face.

"Shut up Yang," All of them chorused before turning back and talking to each other, Yang still howling with laughter. Weiss groaned and muttered, "Please end my suffering." I pat her and the back as she curled up face down on the table, whispering, "There, there, it'll be alright." I looked back at Pyrrha, and was a bit surprised at the lost look on her face. Jaune seemed to pick up on it too, scooting closer next to her.

"Pyrrha, what's up? You look... I dunno, lost." The champion looked startled for a second before relaxing. "Sorry, it's just that something about the name seems familiar. I feel like I may know a few people in the group..." she waved us off politely, smiling easily and her face relaxing. "It's probably just a coincidence, don't fret over it."

For now, everyone accepted the answer, going back to casually eating. "Bah, the new Team ain't worth shit!" I heard one team say from the table behind us. "Well, you gotta consider that they're from Haven. That school has hella' strong people!" The guy who was previously speaking snorted before talking again. "Come on, you don't actually believe in all that crap about Haven students being the strongest, do you?" A girl sighed, saying, "They did win the Vytal Festival Tournament _over five times_ in a row." I raised my eyebrows, surprise filling me. 'Over five times? Man, I wonder what these guy's weapons are like?'

 _"All students, report to the Amphitheater once lunch is over in order to welcome the new Transfer Team,"_ The speaker blared suddenly, actually making me jump in my seat. "Well, I guess it's time to meet them," Weiss, said, finishing up her salad and tossing behind her, the empty plastic container flying into a trashcan. She brushed her hands off, getting up calmly and briefly pumping her fist into the air. "You practiced that, didn't you?" asked her as we walked out of the cafeteria. She turned red and looked away, muttering "You saw nothing." I grinned and skipped in front of her, happy to see Weiss continuing to lighten up.

Artorias

I stood next to Ciaran on the stage of the Amphitheater, all of the Professors lined up in order to meet this new team. At one point, Ciaran very discreetly shifted closer to me, and suddenly I felt a slap on my rump. I leaped a bit, my face heating up a bit before I looked at her. She was grinning, her eyes glowing and suggestive as she licked her lips, winking at me. 'Gods help me with this fine woman,' I thought, almost physically restraining myself to not grab her and carry her somewhere more... private. "Ciaran, not in front of the children," I scolded her. "Forgive me, I've just been deprived of my fiance's touch for a very long time, and you know how I get when I'm deprived of certain things," She said, biting her bottom lip.

I sighed again and swiftly slapped her own behind (thankfully, nobody saw), her eyes widening and her face going red. "Snapped out of it?" I asked, a grin on my face. She turned even redder as she slowly asked, "W-Was I becoming... wanting again?" I nodded and pulled her closer, looking her in the eye. "Do not worry about that, once this is done, I'll... satisfy you," I whispered with a grin, her face somehow turning even redder. We both snapped back to attention when Ozpin suddenly walked right beside us, shooting us an amused and knowing look before walking up to the podium, tapping the microphone, getting the students' attention.

"Students of Beacon Academy, today is a very special and somewhat historic day. For the first time in over half a century, Beacon Academy has the honor of receiving Transfer students from Haven Academy. I understand what normally comes into mind when a Transfer Team is mentioned, but I want everyone to let go of those thoughts and embrace these four students as comrades. Ladies and gentlemen of Beacon Academy, I introduce to you, team R.O.C.K."

A door behind us opened, and instantly I was hit with this wave of undeniably great power. Ciaran was clearly affected by it too, her ability to sense presences far more developed than mine. We both looked to the side and got a good look at the new Team as they passed in between us. The first was a girl who was about 5.7 feet in height had dark, chin-length straight hair, which strangely had a single purple streak hanging in front of her face, her skin lightly tanned and her build somewhat normal, but powerful, shown in her forearms and legs. Next came another girl who was shorter than the previous one, roughly 5.4 in height, her hair entirely teal, along with the cat-like ears within it. She was slim and almost cat-like, moving with the same grace as one, but her blue eyes darted around the room, her small hands sill but lightly tensed. Then came first male, his body rippling with muscle through his white jacket, his power matching his appearance. His eyes and hair were roughly the some color, a pale yellow, much like his tail poking from out of the back of his worn shorts.

Finally came another young man. 'Lords almighty... the power radiating off of him!' I thought. This boy was slim but well built, something I could see even through his clothing, which consisted of mainly a black jacket, loose black pants with orange flame designs by the end, finger-less gloves with orange stripes and a plain white shirt. His eyes were also pure orange, and his messy (slightly spiky) hair had a single orange cowlick dangling on his face, much like the girl with the purple strip of hair. On his ears however, were two strange earrings; They were clipped onto the earlobe, dangling by a small chain, ending in funny midnight-blue baubles about half an inch thick. Moving back to the power radiating off of him though, for a human, it was staggering, not on my level, but far more than a normal huntsman in training should normally have.

As Ciaran and I were eyeing the new students, the other residents of Beacon opted to give them halfhearted claps and several looks of disgust towards them. The entire team noticed this and did something unexpected; every single one of them smirked, there eyes staring right back into everyone's eyes, challenging them. 'That look...' I glanced at Ciaran, and she had clearly seen it too, if her smile wasn't already an indicator of it. 'That's the same look the four of us gave every Silver Knight when they thought we couldn't lead them,' I thought. "I like them," Ciaran whispered to me, standing on her tip-toes to reach my ear. "Indeed, they may not look like us, but they have that spark."

"These are your new classmates and comrades in arms," Ozpin explained. "Their names are as follows: Team Leader Raiden Ryuka" The boy with the orange eyes stepped forward, "Oro D Wukong," The monkey-tailed boy this time, "Claire... Tellar," The cat-eared girl was next, though she shot a grateful look at Ozpin for some reason, one which he did not miss, "And finally Kikoken Ryuka." The girl with her purple highlight stepped forward, her arms folded in front of her as she continued to smirk and glare along with the rest of her team.

"Thank you for your time, you are all dismissed. Classes for the rest of the day are off." The Headmaster proceeded to calmly turn around in walk off before looking at me and Ciaran again, his look almost saying, 'Wait and watch.' Ciaran seemed to get the message as well, so we stood there while the other Professors went about their own business and the students began to file out. Kikoken glanced at what I assumed was her older brother, the team leader, and he nodded, a scowl on his face, though not directed towards her. He walked up to the podium, ripped the microphone off and shouted into it, "HEY!"Everyone hopped in the air in surprise (excluding Ciaran of course; she was made of tougher stuff, though I apparently wasn't sadly.) Every student looked back at them, glares and shocked looks aimed at Raiden.

"Not even a single 'Hello' or 'Welcome to Beacon'? Shit, I'm disappointed in you guys!" He said with heavy sarcasm. "Alright, tell you all what. Since you've made it pretty clear that nearly none of you like us, meet us in the Arena, tomorrow after lessons are over." My eyebrows shot up as I whispered to Ciaran, "He's openly challenging _every student?_ " Ciaran raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I like him." Raiden's eyes swept the crowd before saying, "Here's how it's going to work. Each of you can decide to fight each one of my team-members either one on one, two one one, or hell, make it an entire team against any of my crew, a four versus one, since you love us that much! I gotta warn you though... the second you step on that floor," A grin which held no humor, only malice, broke onto his face. "Each of us will be looking to send you out broken in some way, be it your pride, ego, and most likely your body. Now go on and enjoy the rest of your peaceful day, because tomorrow, you just might wish you never stepped in the ring."

With that, the boy's face turned into another snarl as he crushed the microphone like paper and threw into a trashcan. He and his team walked off, actually hopping off the stage and into the crowd, who threw insults and sneers their way as they walked out of the building. The majority of them continued to riot until it started getting to my head. I walked forward and cleared my throat before roaring in my best field-commander voice, " _ **QUIET!**_ " To my surprise, my voice boomed through the amphitheater, sending students staggering away from me and all of them immediately shutting up. "The headmaster told you that you are dismissed, so go. As for the transfer students' challenge... whether you choose to fight or not, if of your concern. Dismissed." They all stood there for a few seconds before scurrying out, and quickly too. Ciaran walked up to me and lightly elbowed my arm, a grin on her face. "Look's like you've still got it." I chuckled and turned to face her, a smile on my own face. "I've had a bit of practice here and there." She shook her head, laughter spilling from her as we walked away.

Raiden Ryuka

"Yo Rai," Oro said, walking up beside me. "Whadda ya think about the students here? Did you see any strong people in the crowd?" I lightly scratched the scar on my arm as I thought back. "Well a few. There were some strong auras in the crowd... that Nikos girl was there, and she seems stronger than ever. There was and Arc as well, and his reserve of aura is great, though it seems almost weak for some reason, fresh. A Schnee was also there too, sharp as ever." I paused as we continued to walk, one thing still embedded in my mind. Claire, never one to let things slip by her read out my mind. "There was also the girl with the golden hair." My sister looked at me with interest, an eyebrow raised. "What about her? She seems pretty strong physically, but that's just about it."

I shook my head my mind on her again, the girl with the golden hair. "No, it's not just her physical strength. Her very inner strength, her hidden potential is astounding. Her strength alone is equal to that of a second-year, though I'm still unsure how she has that kind of strength, but she's undoubtedly strong enough to reach me." Oro grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Man, I just can't wait for tomorrow! So many new faces, and strong people too!" He said excitedly, his pale-yellow aura rising slightly. Claire smirked and and flicked the scar under his left eye. "Don't get too excited now Oro, it might were off when you actually need it."

He looked at her, his grin widening and and eyebrow raising as he leaned into her. "Oh, and when may I need it my lovely kitty-cat?" She blushed and rolled her eyes, giggling a bit. Kiko howled with laughter and put her arms around both of them (she was having a bit of trouble with Oro, seeing as he was a lot taller than her) and asked, "Any room for a third person in your-less-than-quiet escapades?" We all laughed at that as we walking into the dorm-building, each and every one of us ready to face the coming days ahead of us.

* * *

 **(A.N: So, now the new team is here, and each of them have been referenced to a character that you may or may not know. You'll get a better idea of who they might be in the next chapter. If you like what you see, Follow and Fav. Don't be afraid to Review and leave some constructive criticism, and so you guys next time!)**


	4. Prove your worth, Team ROCK!

**A.N: To Bobcx, thank you for the Follow and Fav, any support is appreciated, it gives me a good idea that I'm actually getting somewhere with what I'm doing. Anyway, back to the story! This chapter is going to be longer than usual, and hopefully one of the best in the earlier part of the story. This is the chapter where you may get clues about the references to one of my characters' abilities. The rest will follow in the next one, seeing as I was planning to make this an extra big chapter, but that didn't work out. So, on with Into The Dark, Chapter 4!**

* * *

-(Into The Dark)-

Chapter 4

Prove your worth, Team ROCK!

Ruby (Lunchtime)

"Ruby, do you always have to eat your cookies before _and_ after eating a normal meal?" Weiss sighed. After swallowing the last of my delicious cookie, I turned to her, nodded, and shoved the next cookie into my mouth. And the following three after that. "Anyway," I started after I swallowed the last cookie, "I'm still super surprised at the stunt that the new team pull, or is going to pull later today. What did you guys think about that?" I asked everyone on the table. "Well in my opinion, I think that aside from crushing the microphone, they had the right to challenge everyone," Ren stated sagely. I _swore_ that if he grew old, he'd have a thin, white beard that he'd stroke while saying something wise.

"Besides, I really want to fight the team leader!" Yang said excitedly, slapping her fist into her open palm. "If he's as strong as they say students from Haven are, than I want to see how I fare up against someone like him."

"Well, you may not get too far."

All of us turned to face Pyrrha in surprise, a strangely solemn look on her face. "Remember when I said that I may have recognized the name? Well, I'll have you know that the team leader, Raiden Ryuka..." She paused before finishing, "He's one of the five people in my life who have beaten me." My eyes went wide at that before I managed to reign myself in. "W-well, he sounds pretty strong, but to beat you, it must've been a pretty tough fight, right?" She shook her head. "He is the only person to have ever beaten me in under two minutes." Jaune fainted, his face landing squarely in his food. Everyone on our table looked at her in shock, only Yang looked even more excited.

Just as I was about to ask something, the door to the cafeteria opened and the entire hall went quiet for a second. We (everyone besides Jaune, poor guy was still conked out breathing in some pasta) all turned to see team Rock walking in, getting their food, and completely ignoring everyone else's hate-filled stares and looking for a seat. Practically everyone made sure that there was no space for them to sit, spreading out or putting bags on the seats to fill in spaces. They took it in stride, casually looking for a space where they could sit. I steeled myself and waved at them, pointing them to an open space right beside me. All four of them seemed surprised before walking over and sitting down quietly. Raiden looked at me, cation in his eyes (which I could more or less understand, with everyone else driving them away and whatnot) before saying, "Thank you very much."

I smiled and stuck my hand out. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Ruby Rose!" He smiled and shook my hand, his palms surprisingly rough and scarred. "Raiden Ryuka. I assume that you've already seen my team," He chuckled, becoming more relaxed and comfortable. "Hey, so I heard that you," The big guy with the pale yellow hair said to Blake "Know my brother! Are you two screwin' or something?" Blake proceeded to spit all of her milk out of her mouth onto Jaune (who was still knocked out... seriously, isn't he choking at this point?) and cough a lot, her face red. Yang pat her back, helping her out and giving her a glass of water. The other Faunus, Claire I remember her name was, of team Rock elbowed Oro in the ribs. "Oro, be polite and say sorry to her." He laughed before apologizing to Blake. Raiden's sister stared at Jaune for a second before pointing a glowing finger at him, lifting him out of his food. "Cool, telekinesis?" I asked her. She looked at me, and I realized how pretty she was. Her face was kinda sharp in a way, but her eyes were almond-shaped, fitting her purple irises and her magenta-tipped hair, topped off with a light tan. 'Huh, almost as good as Weiss,' I thought.

"Actually, I can control gravity with my semblance. Comes in handy from time to time, wouldn't you say?" She joked, gesturing to Jaune, who was now waking up. She and Raiden looked at Pyrrha for a second, their eyes meeting. "Oh, hey Pyrrha!" Kikoken said, the siblings waving at the Mistralian champion. She smiled and politely returned the wave. "I'm glad to see you two alright. I assume that you've been training hard Raiden?" She said. He smirked and nodded, pointing a thumb at himself. "You bet. But if I've been doing some tough things, you'd better be doing twice as much as me champ. I'm looking forward to fighting you again, and this time on even grounds!" Pyrrha gave him a determined nod, her face dead serious for a split second. Of course, there was Yang.

"Sooo..." She said, somehow managing to switch seats with me. "I hear you guys are pretty strong, especially you," She pointed at Raiden. "Hmm, strong _and_ good looking, guess they were right about some boys from Mistral." I, along with many others gagged as Yang grinned at him, batting her eyelashes. Surprising us all, he grinned right back, an eyebrow raised. "I'd say roughly the same thing to you, minus the handsome part, seeing as you aren't a guy." Unlike many other guys, he didn't freeze up or stutter an answer out, and it caught even Yang off guard. 'Wow, he's pretty smooth,' I thought. "...ooh, you're good," She replied, her grin even wider now as she held a hand out. "The name's Yang, Yang Xiao Long." Raiden shook it before asking, "That's a Mistralian name, are you from some part of Mistral?" She shook her head. "No, my dad was from Mistral though. Anyway, I want to be the one to fight you later this afternoon. You don't have to agree to that, but hey, it's just my offer."

"Deal."

Yang looked at him in a bit of shock. "You heard me. So long as you're the first to make it to the arena floor when I'm up, you've got yourself a fight." He held out a clenched fist, and Yang responded after a second, bumping her knuckles to his. "...Wow, thank you," She said. "If you're strong enough to beat someone like Pyrrha, than I want to test myself against you." He nodded as the bell rang, his entire team getting up with him. "Well, I think that you're going to find the fight you've been looking for. Either way, nice meeting with you all!" He said, waving with the rest of his team before going off. The rest of us also got up clearing away our trash. Yang seemed a bit lost, idly popping her knuckle. "Yang, what's up?" I asked, a bit worried. She Looked at me, a bit startled before giving me a disarming (hmm) smile. "Sorry sis' just thinkin' about the fight." I sighed and pat her shoulder as we began to walk off to our final lesson of the day. 'You're a terrible liar.'

Raiden

"I wish I had my old Combat-Power Scouter to see how strong she was," I said to Kiko as we sat down in history class. She nodded approvingly, whispering into my ear, "You were right, she does have hidden potential. She's a bit like you in that regard." I hummed, my mind going back to Haven Academy for a few seconds. I was the second strongest in the entire school, minus some of the Pro-Huntsmen and Huntresses. In every combat-class, I'd tear through buildings and destroy every opponent that was in my way... bar one. My mouth had a sudden bitter taste to it, when I thought about that one girl who was stronger than me (not that I hated the fact that she was a girl, I'm a bit of an ass, but not sexist) and what she did. Kiko and Oro noticed this, Oro silently putting a hand on my shoulder, and Kiko holding my hand, giving me support.

"Don't worry boss," Oro said, his usual cheerful grin on his face. "When the Tournament comes around, you'll be the one to take her down." I nodded, grinding my teeth for a second, my aura suddenly flaring up as my semblance activated for a brief few seconds. It surrounded me like a sunset orange flame before beginning to burst out around me. Thankfully, we were the first team there, and I managed to calm myself before the doors burst open, the teacher, Professor Oobleck, and the other students pouring in.

Among them, to my surprise, was Oro's older brother Sun. He waved at him excitedly, the other Monkey Faunus waving back with just as much energy before almost bounding over and tackling his brother in a hug. "Oro, it's so good to see you again! Whoa, you've grown at least five extra inches since I last saw you," He said with a bit of awe, actually climbing on his brother and checking his height. "Well man, I'm proud of you. You've finally made it to Beacon, just like you wished for huh?" Oro nodded and hugged his brother again, squeezing a bit more tightly. The brotherhood moment was really sweet, and calmed me down fully.

"Anyway, _this_ is the lucky girl I've been hearing so much about!" Sun said after greeting the rest of us, turning lastly to Claire. She smiled politely and bowed her head. "Pleasure to meet you, Sun Wukong. You're brother..." She blushed, her puma ears twitching slightly. "It very aware of how to _take care_ of a girl." Oro also blushed, scratching his cheek with a single finger, but his smile was unmistakable, nor was the meaning behind Claire's words.

Sun's eyebrows shot to Oum above as he burst into laughter, punching his big little brother in the shoulder. "Damn man, you've been holding back on me! What was the first time like?" He asked just before the bell rang again. "Aw man... well, I'll catch up with the rest of you later. Good luck with the fight later today!" He said, giving us a thumbs up. "Believe me..." Kiko said, popping a knuckle with her thumb as she grinned without humor. "We will." I turned to face her with glare as soon as Sun left. "What?" She deadpanned.

"You stole my line."

She snorted. "You didn't patent it." I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"You can't patent a phrase or line! But, it's just the thing I say though!" Claire tapped me on the shoulder. "Actually Raiden, it is possible to patent a phrase. The term 'happy birthday' was patented by it's creator, much like how the spork is." I looked at her, my eyes wide. "Seriously? You can do that to a phrase?" I said, absolutely lost. In a world with hunters, huntresses, half-human/half animal hybrids and creatures of darkness, the fact that you could get money from a couple of words was nearly unbelievable.

"Mr. Ryuka, do you have a question? Class has only begun, but I am happy to see that you are already such a studious person, especially in my class!" I froze for a seconds before quickly looking at what the Professor had but up on the board- 'The Breach of Vacuo'. "Um, what year exactly does the breach occur? We didn't cover this in Haven, but I only know it happened in around the years 3200 and 3300." I mentally pat myself on the shoulder at the improvised recovery. "Why, that's quite an appropriate question, as this is the first thing that we are going to learn about!" Oro looked at me, an eyebrow raised as he wiggled it at me.

"You came up with that on the fly, didn't you?"

"Shut up, the Professor's talking." I whispered. "But yes, I did." We promptly bumped fists under the table.

* * *

(After school)

Yang

I was shocked at the amount of people who flocked into the arena, many of them dressed in combat gear... though there was noticeably less people than I expected. It was still a lot, but nowhere near the number of people who were previously throwing insults at them in the amphitheater. Most other students were sitting on the stands, almost all of them throwing insults at team Rock, who were all lined up on the stage in different poses. Claire had her hands in her pockets, her eyes darting around the room, Oro was sitting cross-legged, looking at his weapon, which seemed to be a wicked-looking scimitar with a bone handle. Kiko had a staff resting on her shoulder, and she was leaning on one leg. Raiden was bouncing on the ball of his feet, clenching and un-clenching his fists. He wasn't nervous; he was excited.

"Oh, I can't wait to fight him," I muttered, my own fist clenching. Our eyes met for a second, and he threw me a grin. I smirked and gave him a thumbs up and blew a kiss. Again he caught me off guard by catching it placing it right on his cheek. "You're good," I muttered as my grin grew wider. I walked into the stands and sat closest to the arena, just in time as the last people got in. Raiden stepped forward and held his hands up, trying to get people to quiet down, only for them to get louder and throw more insults at them.

I saw Raiden sigh for a sec before his eyes glowed orange, a powerful pulse of aura passing through the air. The pulse had only one emotion that shut everyone up. Pure, nearly unrestrained rage. Everyone shut the hell up, a shiver going down my, and I suspected everyone else's spines. The glow in his eyes faded as he cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentleman, chicks and dicks alike, welcome to you possible funerals!" he said bombastically, his voice full of sarcasm. "You asshats already know the rules, but I left out one thing. Ring-outs do not exist, and you can fight for as long as you like until you've been knocked out or say that you concede. Not that you'll last very long," He added. He turned around and nodded at Claire, who stayed on as the rest of the team walked off.

What I didn't get about the small Faunus girl was what she was wearing. She had on a teal shirt, long loose jeans and white sneakers. No armor, no weapons on her person that I could see. She was completely defenseless in terms of taking full-on hits. Of course, the four people who ran onto the stage was team Cardinal, all four of them looking at her smugly. "All right guys," Cardin said loudly. "You know the drill. Surround it and beat it to a pulp!" The timer began to count down at the four guys surrounded Claire.

Said Faunus turned to Cardin, her eye twitching. "Did you just call me _it_?" She asked in a very calm tone of voice. Cardin smirked, replying, "Of course. You're nothing but a filthy, flea-bitten Faunus."

 **'3'**

Claire breathed in deeply, closing her eyes and a very slowly put her fists up. In her fists, were her weapons. They were half-a foot long punch-daggers, the blades coated in teal wind-dust. "You have made a very big mistake calling me that," She said, her aura suddenly rising from her body, coating her in a light blue film.

 **'2'**

Cardin's eyebrow raised, his face going a bit serious as he hefted his mace. "Oh, why's that?"

 **'1'**

Claire looked him right in the eye, her grip tightening. "That's because..."

 **'Begin match!'**

 **(Cue Music: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure OST, Stand Activated, staring point 0:50)**

Claire slowly boldly walked towards Cardin, her foot-fall light but echoing through the stadium. Everyone was quiet as her fist clenched her dagger tighter and her mouth formed into a slight frown, like the same one a person would give to gum stuck on the sole of a shoe. "I'm still much, much better than you'll ever be, racist rich-boy." Suddenly she seemed to instantly appear right in front of him without any kind of hint as to how she did it. Cardin's eyes bulged as he stumbled backwards. Claire leaped up and threw a vicious roundhouse-kick right to his jaw, and audible _**POW**_ echoing through the room, the big guy in heavy armor being thrown clean off the stage with a thud. She didn't stop there, again instantly appearing before Dove and slicing right through his own armor and shirt before kneeing him in the nose twice, putting him flat on his back as blood spurt from his nose. Claire swiftly kicked him in the temple, knocking his lights out.

Everyone was stunned at how she basically annihilated the two of them in under five seconds flat. 'How is she able to injure them and knock them out?' I thought. 'Aura users should be able to resist things such as that, yet she's able to almost completely bypass its defense...' I looked up at the Auric Display Board, seeing that Cardin's was already at 87% with that one kick, and Dove having been even worse off with 72% from those three blows, granted both of them were _knocked the hell out_. What confused me, was Claire's aura. She was at 95%, despite never actually being hit once. The other two members of the team were scared shitless to even go near her, daggers and halberd shaking in their hands.

Claire didn't even wait for them, her punch-knives transforming into what looked like brass knuckles. She pointed them to the ground behind her, a loud _WHOOSH_ sound bursting from her weapons as she flew across the stage. Sky hurriedly brought his halberd up and fired at her wildly, only for her to disappear again and reappear, crouched right in front of him. She shot right up and blasted her fist right into his solar-plexus, his eyes bulging wide as he fell to his knees. With a calm, almost surgical grace, she grabbed his wrist with one hand... and promptly shattered his arm by punching it. Everyone screamed at the brutality of it, but Sky's scream was even louder than everyone's combined, right up until she silenced him by elbowing him in the jaw, his eyes rolling up into his head as he fell flat on his face.

 **(Music end)**

She slowly turned her head to Russel, who looked like he was about to piss his pants as she began to walk towards him. "I-I concede, I CONCEDE!" He shrieked, falling backwards on his ass just as Claire appeared right in front of him, the point of her blade right on his throat. She nodded and calmly put her weapons away, walking off the arena floor, receiving looks of horror and disgust. She calmly walked up the stairs and sat right beside me, crossing her legs and putting her hands in her lap. "Try and guess my semblance," She whispered to me. I looked at her in a bit of surprise before opting to answer the question. "It's not teleportation, there's no wind-up or delay time, nor is it speed," I said. "But you're able to get from one place to the other instantly, with no delay whatsoever..." I thought for a second before I looked at her, shock on my face. "Can... can you stop time?" She raised a brow, smiling lightly. "You are quite smart, Raiden was right. You have great potential, but not just in strength." I was my turn to raise a brow, but I held back my question. "You're basically correct. I can pause time for as long as I wish, and effectively skip it, though I am able to move within that period." I stared at her, honestly even more excited.

'If she alone is that strong, then what are the others on that team like? What's Raiden like?' I thought, almost bouncing in my seat. Claire wasn't blind to this, smiling. "I wish you the best of luck with you fight with our team leader. You may turn out to be the second greatest opponent that he has fought." I smirked and held up a fist. "Screw second, you better bet that I'll be first!"


	5. Fight on, Team ROCK!

**(A.N: I don't own anything, minus OC's)**

 **-Into the Dark-**

Chapter 5

Fight on Team ROCK! (Minus Claire at this point)

Oro

I bounced idly on my feet, gripping my scimitar, Light's Edge in my left hand, flexing the fingers of my right one. People tended to underestimate not me, but my weapon, and for a fair reason. The blade looked really, really old and dull-looking, which made sense, considering that me and my brother found it while treasure-hunting in the ruins of Vacuo. The sword ended up saving our lives when we were trapped in a cave by a boulder, and a half-heart swing shattered it like Styrofoam being hit with a hammer. It didn't actually cut things with the blade, that's the point's job.

Anyway, I was getting bored, yawning and almost falling asleep until a loud booming foot-fall startled me awake. I looked to see a big second-year student angrily walk onto the stage, dressed in full grey knight-armor with an open-faced helmet, revealing his buzz-cut grey hair and dull blue eyes. Finally, he was wielding a massive cleaver with what looked like a machine-gun modification. "Hmph, it seems like the first-year brat- shits lost their nerves. Can't believe that a second-year has to clean up their messes," he growled, gripping his cleaver and pointing it at me. I grinned and spread my feet a bit, starting to bounce again as I lifted my weapon, pointing it at him.

"Not one for friendly conversations, are ya?" I asked.

"Quiet freshman!" He bellowed, plodding over to me. "I'll haze you like the newbie you are!"

I sighed and rushed right back at him, ducking under a quick swing of his cleaver. 'He's fast on the swings, but what about his balance?' I leaped over another swing before beginning my own assault on him. Just as he turned and swung again, I swung right back at it, Light's Edge leaving a glowing arc of light in the air as our weapons met with a loud _**CLANG**_. The second-year's arm was jerked backward, his balance thrown off for a second as he leaned back. 'Now!' I activated a small portion of my semblance, my nails turning into tough sharp claws, the hair on my arm growing a bit thicker along with my muscles. Before he could catch himself, I punched my nails and fingers right through his armor, throwing him up into the air.

As he flailed around, I leaped up and swung Light's Edge in another dazzling arc, slamming the blunt blade on his chestplate, the metal shattering. I grabbed him by the throat, spinning and throwing him back to the floor. I landed right on him, slamming my knee into his stomach. He didn't give in though, slapping the flat oh his cleaver into my head, punching me in the gut several times and grabbing my tail before throwing me off of him. I rolled right back onto my feet, blinking the stars from my eyes. "Wow, you're pretty good," I muttered before dashing at him again. This time, I went all out with a combo of whirling strikes and rapid-fire stabs at him, giving him no time to recover as he blocked with the flat of his cleaver. The hall echoed with a constant **_CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG_** sound, my heart beating along with it.

I wanted to close my eyes and get lost in the rhythm of the fight, to let my heart free and go all out, but I knew that it would be too dangerous to do something like that. I quickly glanced at the Aura Display, my reserves at 86% from the heavy blows I took, while his was at 79% and still dropping. 'Eh, I'm getting sloppy,' I thought as I rolled away from a massive overhead swing. Just before it hit, I lashed out with a kick to the flat of the blade again, throwing him off balance again. I spin on my toes and slammed my blade into his back, forcing him to the ground. As his body bounced off the stone floor, I rolled on him and hooked his arm with my elbow, pinning his body with my weight.

At he struggled to move, I pointed the tip of Light's Edge at his neck. "You fought pretty good! Though, seems like you'll just have to concede." He growled and struggled a lot, thrashing around without any success. "Please," I said a bit colder this time. "Give in, or I'll painfully rip your arm outta your socket." He struggled for a bit longer before giving in. "Sh-shit, I surrender," He spat, and I gently eased his arm down. I sheathed my blade in the container on my back and walked away, whistling a tune to myself. Suddenly, I heard a click of a gun-safety going of, and every muscle in my body worked on overdrive, my restrain over my semblance loosening up a bit.

My entire body grew larger and taller, my muscles bulging and my hair growing longer and spikier, along with my tail. Aura shot off of my body like yellow steam as I pivoted and drew Light's Edge again, the blade now glowing yellow. I saw the bullet that was aimed for my spine, and I slammed the blade down on it, shattering it and accidentally burying the blade in the ground with a loud **CRACK.** Cracks spider-webbed through the arena floor, and the second-year looked at me with shock on his face. My semblance was something which I called 'Beast Ape', and the more I tapped into it, the less control I had over my heightened emotions. Right now, with what I called my 'Half-Beast Form', I got quite pissed off.

I growled audibly and launched myself at him, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him bodily off the ground before chucking him clean out of the room, his body crashing through the doors. Breathing heavily for a few seconds, I wanted to sprint through the doors and beat the absolute shit out of him, until I felt a soft hand on my bicep. Startled, I turned to face Claire, a gentle look on her face that said, 'Please calm down.' I breathed out slowly, my body shrinking back to normal size, the beard framing my jaw and my chin disintegrating. I nodded a thanks to her before grinning and sweeping her up into a kiss. A lot of people gasped out in shock, and Claire's face had turned pure red, her ears pointing perfectly up. Before she could respond, I pulled away, winking at her as I carried her back to the stands.

"Your turn," I said to Kikoken, to which she nodded with a smirk.

"Showoff," I heard her mutter.

Ruby

My jaw was dropped all the way down as I saw Oro's insane display with that strange (incredibly awesome) weapon and his fighting style. "Whoa... what kind of weapon is that!?" I squealed. Blake for once was actually looking at what was going on rather than reading her book of filth, almost leaning on the edge of her seat. "... I'm starting to wonder if his entire team has S-class semblances." I looked at her, confused. "S-class? What's that mean?" It was Blake's turn to look confused until realization dawned on her.

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that you've been moved up two years early. Let me explain. All semblances are put into different categories, that much you know right?" I nodded, confirming it. "Well, there's also a way which semblances are ranked. For example, the ability to change your eye or hair color is considered 'D' rank, being useless in combat. 'C' rank semblances are somewhat alright, but are very situational. 'B; rank tends to be pretty good, but with some kind of minor drawback, like your speed or my clones. 'A' rank is the best of the best, like Miss Goodwitch's telekinesis."

"However, an 'S' class semblance is something that's incredibly rare and insane, no matter the category it's placed in, be it an Enhancer, Construct, Controller, or Producer." She pointed at Oro before continuing, "His seems to be some kind of Transformation-Enhancement type. You can't really tell, but he's holding back a lot of his real power very severely. Look," She now pointed at his aura bar... which was completely full.

"...If that's the kind of power they all have, why not go all out form the start?" She shook her head. "The problem with such a powerful semblance is that it tends to have a very severe drawback. Claire seems to use aura, though not much, whenever she uses hers, and Oro looks like he's a bit more tired than before. If they both used it to their full power... who knows what could happen to the-!" She was cut off when a guy was thrown right at us, like he was launched from a cannon, screaming like a girl. Blake and I ducked just as he crashed into the wall right above us, curling over and clutching his stomach.

Kikoken, who was now alone on the floor, shrugged and walked off the stage, her steps sounding heavier than when she had walked on for some reason. Finally, the team leader Raiden got up, striding confidently up to the stage. "Alright... who's up next!?" She shouted loudly. And to almost everyone's surprise, Yang shot out of her seat and launched herself onto the stage. "That would be me!"

Raiden

I rolled my neck and cracked my knuckles, smirking a bit. "I hope I live up to this 'hidden potential' you say I have," She replied as the timer started to count down. "I'll guess that Claire told you? I don't mind... however, you _do_ interest me, and I want to see if I'm wasting my time or not." Her eyebrow raised, a small frown on her face. "Wasting your time?" I felt her aura rise slightly, and I decided to egg her on. "Yes. Wasting my time with you."

"Wasting your time?" She said a bit more sharply.

"Wasting my time."

"You just made a big mistake if that's the case!" She shouted just as the gong sounded, rushing with surprising speed at me as her weapon, a pair of shotgun-gauntlets. Her aura flared up around her like a golden fire engulfing her, seeming to billow out of her now glowing hair. "Auric Arte: Sunbreaker Rush!" Instantly, I put my fists up in a tight guard, channeling most of my aura to the entire front of my body. 'So, an Arte User? This is gonna be interesting,' I thought just before she reached me. Her body was weaving in a wide but quick figure-eight motion, seeming to leave flaming afterimages of her behind.

Finally, her fist struck across my forearms with a loud **BANG** and an explosion of heat. I tensed my legs, staying up on my feet as she swung again with her left, another **BANG** going off, followed by a rain of **BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG** constantly bombarding me. 'Whew, she's pretty strong!' I thought with a grin as I was blown off of my feet. I quickly flipped backwards and landed on my toes, dashing to the side to avoid a shotgun blast. She didn't let up with it either, continuing to make me dodge her bullets.

'Alright, time to show off a bit.' I rolled to my feet as stood still, my hands up and a guard, and Yang took the chance to blast me again. I didn't get out of the way this time, my sunset orange aura flaring in my hand as I caught her projectile, deflecting it into the ground. Yang stopped looking at me in shock, and I took my chance. I leaped right at her shooting my foot into her chin.

Her head was whipped back, but she stood her ground, leaning forward again and punching at my stomach. I knocked her fist out of the way and flipped over her, tucking into a tight ball before I landed again and threw a spinning hook-kick at her head. She took it right to the face, her eyes going blank for a second until she ground her teeth and threw another punch at me, hitting me square on the cheek.

"Auric Arte: Sunbreaker!" She shouted again, her aura flaring wildly and coating her right arm in a thin layer of golden flame as she threw the punch. I quickly shifted to the side and wrapped my arms around her own arm and quickly pivoted, whipping her off balance. **"Auric Arte: Raging Strike!"** I roared, putting about 25% of my natural strength in one punch as I pivoted and slammed my fist into Yang's stomach while she was midair, her body folding like paper around my fist before flying off and nearly falling off of the stage.

My breathing was a bit deep as my aura died down, returning to normal and I stood upright, looking at Yang who was clutching her stomach. 'Hmm... maybe I overestimated her,' I thought sadly before turning around to walk off the stage... until I felt her power begin to suddenly spike. "Huh?" I turned around and was shocked; she was getting up. She was getting up, and her true power was billowing forth, pure golden flames shooting off of her once again, only this time, it made her previous appearance look dim in comparison, her hair shining like the sun.

(Cue Music: DBZ OST, Goku is the Strongest after all)

"Don't... you dare walk off when the fight isn't done yet!" She shouted, looking at me with her now blood-red eyes. She pointed her gauntlets behind her and blasted off towards me, her fist drawn back.

Grinning, I put up my guard, and felt like a speeding train had hit me at full speed with a loud **BOOM** , the shock-wave pushing us both away from each other. My arms were throbbing, and my legs shook slightly, but I've never felt more excited in my life. She ran right at me again, leaping up and swinging her leg in a flaming kick at my head.

I weaved out of the way and quickly jabbed at her exposed side, knocking her back slightly, but she only can back at me even harder, each swing of her fists blasting right into my arms. 'She's hitting as hard as she can... along with how hard I've hit her! That's gotta be her semblance; the ability to absorb damage and turn it into her own raw power. That's incredible, there's no way that this isn't an S-Class semblance!' I thought as a right hook embedded itself in my ribs, my body skidding back as I stayed on my feet.

"Time to finish this! Mystic Arte!" She roared, as she ran at me again, her power spiking even higher. 'She's going to hit me with 100% of her power... I should dodge this, but my heart says I want to take it head on. So be it, let's end with some style!' I tensed the muscles in my right arm, activating a small portion of my semblance as I got a bit angry, intricate orange lines and markings appearing on my arm. Just to be safe, a channeled a decent amount of aura into my arm, reinforcing it with even more enhanced strength and defense. 'Let's see how she stands up to 35% of my raw power.' She leaped up high, her fist and weapon coated in golden fire. " **SUNBREAKER!** " As her fist came down, I shot mine up with a shout of, " **Raging Strike!** "

(Music end)

The sound of aura shattering was heard just as we struck fists, the air around us exploding from the clash and dust flying from seemingly nowhere, stinging my eyes for a second. Suddenly, the weight on my fist eased up, and I heard something land with a limp thump in front of me. As the dust settled, I wasn't surprised to see Yang semi-unconscious, moaning in a bit of pain as she clutched her left arm, which was probably fractured. I looked at the Aura Display, and saw that mine was at a solid 87% while hers was completely empty.

"Shit... I over-did it," I muttered, picking her up and carrying her off the floor, taking her to Claire. Everyone else was staring at me, eyes wide and jaws dropped. I glared at them, my eyes glowing as I said, "Scram." The amphitheater was emptied in roughly fifteen seconds, which I guessed was a new record. Everyone but my team and Yang's team was gone, said blond's team leaping from the stands and rushing down to me.

"Yang, are you okay!?" The red-haired one, Ruby I remember, asked, panicked.

"Calm down, she'll be fine," I said as I laid her down in front of Claire. My female Faunus team-member proceeded to gently touch her arm, her blue aura rising and flowing into Yang's arm. With a grunt, Claire slapped her palm down on her arm, and in a flash of blue aura, Yang's own golden aura activated, and she began to breath in deeply, a small smile on her face.

"She will be fine now," Claire stated as she lifted her up, depositing her in Blake's arms. "All you should do for her is let her rest for a while, mostly through tonight and tomorrow. Her arm's fully healed, but warn her that it will be numb when she first tries to use it."

I nodded at her, signaling to my team that it was time to go. Oro and Kiko leaped down, landing softly and waving at team RWBY. "See you guys soon!" I said as we walked out. As soon as we were out of earshot, I said to them, "I want to teach her." Oro and Kiko looked at me in shock. "You're already going that far? For what? You barely know her!" I grinned, clenching my fist... which was still shaking. "That kind of potential... mom told us to never waste it, be it in us, or other people. I used over a fourth of my power, and had a touch of my semblance. My fist is still sore."

Kiko's face softened, and she nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, true. Mom always drilled that into our heads- wait, did you say your fist is _still_ shaking?" I grinned, offering only a small, "Yup."

To be continued...

* * *

 **A.N: So, in case nobody guesses who they're based off of, I'll answer you guys at the beginning of the next chapter. Ciao y'all!**


	6. The Lion in shining (Gold) Armor

**/A.N: To those who didn't get the references to my characters' fighting-styles and abilities, allow me to explain. Raiden is essentially Ashura/Asura from Asura's Wrath, his semblance 'Wrath' literally being Anger=Power, and his fighting style is mostly martial arts, though a more brutal fusion of brawling and karate. Oro's style is based off of the Prince from Prince of Persia (2008), mainly seen in his swordplay. His semblance 'Beast-Ape' in a sense is a mixture of 'Legendary Super Saiyan' from Dragon Ball Z and the 'Oozaru/Great Ape' form, also from DBZ.  
** **To further explain it, the less control he has over it, the further is power and appearance changes to suit, similar to Broly and his LSSJ form. Claire is a mixture of Assassin's Creed and Martial Arts again. However, her semblance, called 'Time-Breaker' is quite literally the same in aesthetics to that of the assassin 'Hit' from Dragon Ball Super. Finally, Kiko's fighting style comes from Goku's use of the Power-Poll, again from DBZ, and the move-set of the Twinblades from Dark Souls 2. Her semblance is based off the ability of the Stand 'C-moon' from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (to an extent), with the ability to freely control gravity.**

 **A massive thanks to yesboss21 and Ninjacraig for the Follow and Fav!**

 **Anyway, on with chapter six. Leave a Follow and Fav if you like what you see, and don't be shy, come and Review me is you see anything wrong!**

* * *

-Into the Dark-

Chapter 6

The Lion in shining (gold) armor

 **Ciaran**

Walking around the castle of Anor Londo on a weekend was a hobby of mine, and doing the same thing on the campus of Beacon Academy was just as relaxing, especially in my new clothes. My new casual attire was a simple black shirt, loose black pants and very comfortable white shoes which people call sneakers. Artorias was busy teaching his extra tutor-classes for another thirty minutes, so I decided to simply wander around, both in body and mind for once. 'This is the one place where I can really let my guard down,' I sighed inwardly, breathing in the clean air. I stumbled a bit as my Gravity-Bracelets shifted out of place, throwing me a bit off balance and annoying me.

I crouched down and struggled a bit to fix it until somewhat swept me up into their strong, familiar arms. I may or may not have let out a slightly girly squeal, my face burning red as I looked up to see Artorias grinning at me. "Did you just squeal?" He asked. I pouted and looked away, my cheeks feeling even hotter. He burst into laughter and kissed me on said cheek before grunting and putting me down. "Hmm, you seem to have gotten heavier. Is it from all that food you have been eating?" He teased. He was wearing a dark blue dress-shirt, black casual pants, and black sneakers with blue soles.

I punched him in the stomach, making him curl up a bit and cough, still trying to laugh. I crossed my arms and looked away, embarrassed as hell. Thankfully, nobody paid us any mind, aside from a handful of weird looks towards Artorias who was still trying to recover from the blow. "Feisty as ever, Ciaran." He said after his wheezing. "So, how was the tutor-class?" I asked him.

"It went quite well," he replied, walking with me. "Many of the students I taught seemed quite engaged, even if I do say-so myself." I raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a smirk of my own. "My goodness... Dear humble and honorable Artorias, is that an iota of pride I'm sensing from you?" He chuckled and scratched his cheek with his index finger, his own handsome face reddening a bit. I laughed and grasped his hand in mine. "Walk with me, I was beginning to feel quite lonely without your presence," I said to him.

He rolled his eyes playfully as we walked around together. "I really hope your brother is doing alright," Artorias said, a bit of a wistful, sad tone in his voice. "I too am worried about Ornstein, but I know that he'll be completely fine, so long as he didn't drink any heavy brandy while on the job." We both chuckled at that, remembering that one time when he actually fell off one of the balconies from being far too intoxicated.

Suddenly, the air itself seemed to tingle for some reason, something both Artorias and I felt. He tensed up and let go of my hand, slowly reaching for what looked like a thick metallic rod clipped to his pants. I reached for my daggers and quickly pulled them out, my eyes darting around us. "...It's coming from above!" I shouted, both of us leaping out of the way as a ball of pink lightning crashed down right where we were standing. Artorias whipped the cylinder out, and with several quick mechanical noises, it transformed into a blade that looked almost exactly like his old one, granted it was pure silver, the grip made from black leather, and the hilt had a single large dark-blue dust-crystal embedded within it. He had an excited spark in his eyes, the same spark he always had when he wielded his original sword.

I opted to ask him about that later, focusing on the person in front of us... "Miss Valkyrie?" I asked, confused as the orange-headed girl stood up with a grin on her face. "Oh, heya Professor Ciara, Professor A! Sorry about dropping in on you two like that."

I sighed and relaxed, putting my weapons away and crossing my arms. "Miss Valkyrie, how did you end up here if I may ask?"

She chuckled nervously and scratched her cheek. "Ehehe... I-ah... may have shot myself with a lightning-dust grenade."

I looked at the hyperactive girl and sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Please try not to shoot yourself point-blank with such a destructive weapon again," I reprimanded her sternly, to which she nodded rapidly. "You may go." And go she did, right after looking at Artorias' sword and zipping off. "I swear, that girl will end up destroying her own house when she grows older," I sighed before laughing at the absurdity of it. Artorias shrugged and was about to put he weapon away before pausing.

"That strange feeling is still there, and it's coming from above."

I quickly looked up again, my eyes narrowing as I saw what looked like a ball of pure blue energy crackling in the air, just above one of Beacon's towers. Something was suddenly spat from it, a noticeably large, golden, humanoid object sailing limply towards the nearby forest of Forever Fall, miles away (Something just fell into the Forest of Forever Fall, ha, I knew there was a joke there somewhere.) It seemed as if we were the only ones who saw it, but without doubt, Headmaster Ozpin would have been aware of such things as well. That man was more than just a man, after-all.

(Later in Ozpin's Office...)

"...And so that is why I wish to go and inspect it with Artorias," I summed up to the Headmaster. "I would prefer it if Mrs. Goodwitch were to accompany us, seeing as she is one of the more powerful hunters who can aid us in the case that whatever has fallen into Forever Fall becomes... difficult to handle." The headmaster closed his eyes and laced his fingers together, thinking.

"Permission granted," he said after a while, nodding in agreement. "If the person whom you find is the one you are looking for, then please try not to injure him badly. I sensing a disturbance in the air, I feel as if we will need as much help as we can get." Artorias chuckled in the corner of the room. "True. Remember that time when I was thrown into this world? Disturbing indeed." I fought back a laugh, trying to be as serious as possible. Ozpin smiled, mirth clear in his eyes. "Either way, I suggest that you wear your new armor out of the students' eyesight. Also, on a slightly negative note, I am unable to send Miss Goodwitch with you today, she's currently busy elsewhere and wishes to relax."

I looked at Artorias, and both of us nodded at each other. "Thank you Headmaster. Both of us can promise to bring him back."

"As to being unscathed... I cannot really guarantee that," I chuckled.

 **Artorias**

"As you can see," Glynda said, pointing to our improved armor handing on separate racks, "You old armors have been renewed and reinforced. I hope that it's up to your standards. The blacksmith Professor Hephaestor had quite a time fixing these." I could only stare in awe at my armor, grinning like an idiot as I slowly walked towards it. First was my chestplate.  
All of the holes and old gashes were completely gone, the dark blue waist and shoulder-capes had been repaired. A new addition to it The metal itself was shining silver, even in the dull light of the room, amplifying it even. The giant but constricting pair of armored pants (which I hated, they made my legs look similar to sticks) were gone, replaced by shining practical shin and knee-guards. Finally, my helmet remained mostly the same, with the exception of the shiny metal, and the smoothness of my long plume.

Ciaran's armor was polished black leather, the almost black-blue cowl restored, and the gold-highlights glittering beautifully, mixing with the own silver glow of my armor. Her porcelain mask was also polished, along with her boots and gloves, all of which she stroked lovingly, that endearing spark of excitement. "It's..." She said, her words dying out as she held her porcelain mask. "Beautiful," I finished for her, smiling. When I put my own set on, I was quite disturbed at how light and comfortable it was. It was similar to wearing a shirt with leather-padding, or leather armor for that matter.

Ciaran seemed to feel the same way, her eyebrows raised and she pat her sides and her legs. "Feels light, does it not?" I asked her, receiving a nod. She stood still for a second before turning to and saying, "Artorias, I'm going to stab at your chest. Please stay still."

"...Huh?"

In a flash of gold, her Gold Tracer shot right at my chestplate, and instead of piercing it, the tip bounced right off, throwing Ciaran off balance. I quickly caught her, steadying her and grinning. "I didn't feel a thing!" I said in surprise. "I'm going to bet that your armor is just a bit less durable than mine, and far lighter without doubt." She smiled and kissed me on the cheek.

"Let's go and get that swollen-headed brother of mine," She said before putting her porcelain mask on, her gold-ivory hair spilling onto her shoulders. "Where's your helmet? Not that I mind your gorgeous hair, but I'm fairly sure that you had your helmet before we were thrown into Remnant." She only sighed and ran her hand through her hair, something she tended to do when she was pleased. She was probably blushing under her mask. "It was torn off of my head when I fell into Seathe's Time Spell, and was destroyed during my travel here," she explained as we jogged out and to the Red Forest.

I sensed the sadness in her voice as we jogged to the Forest, and decided to lighten up them mood. "Well," I started, causing her to look at me. "With our aura now becoming defensive, I think that the headpiece will no longer be needed. Plus, like I said before, you have gorgeous hair." She coughed and looked away shyly. I swear to all the Lords above, even her mask blushed, making me laugh.

The jog would have been quite long if we were always at risk of getting caught by students, considering that the forest was several miles away, but once we were well out of the students' sights, we both grinned and broke into a full-speed run. Ciaran, being far lighter and more agile than I was had to slow down a bit for me, but we were still incredibly fast. Despite our sprint, I barely felt any loss in stamina, and combined with aura, I felt like I could run infinitely. Trees whizzed my us, and in a fit of excitement, I leaped high over the trees, and saw the Red Forest about a mile away.

As I landed, I shouted to Ciaran, "We're almost there! Just a mile left!" That being said, I sensed the taint of the abyss, most likely the Grimm. It couldn't have been a coincidence then. "We have to hurry, I sense a large mass of Grimm converging in the forest!" Ciaran whipped out her Tracers, the blades leaving gold and silver streaks behind her respectively. I just barely heard her say under her breath, "Please hang on Ornstein, we're coming for you." I grit my teeth and put everything I had into my sprint, my heart beating wildly.

 **Ornstein, the Lion Knight**

Pain. Pain in my legs, my torso, my arms, my head, literally every inch of me was in pain. "Come on you abyss-soaked bastards, I'll tear you to shreds!" I roared nonetheless, swinging my spear in a wide arc, slashing the faces and stomachs of the many abyss-spawned creatures. 'I absolutely adore my shit-luck,' I said to myself sarcastically. 'First, we end up in a war with a magical dragon, then, said magical dragon reveals he can somehow control time itself, to which he _proceeds_ to throw me and my comrades into wherever this place is!' I raged at myself as I leaped over a black, bone-armored bare that was actually larger than me before impaling it mid air in the spine.

I grunted as I used the momentum to lift it up high over my shoulder before slamming it down on another three of the bears, these ones smaller and more juvenile, so I guessed that they wouldn't survive such a blow. They didn't. I grinned for a second before my torso felt like it was being stabbed, and I couldn't covered my mount in time as I vomited a gout of blood, falling to a knee as my breathing became shallow. "Ugh..." I gurgled, trying to put some pressure on the puncture in my lung. As I crash-landed, I _may_ have been partially impaled by a branch. Not the first time something like that happened though, so I should be alright for the next twenty-four hours until it became a problem. Hopefully, at least.

Still, I fought on, grinding my teeth as lightning writhed from my body and my weapon. Speaking of the two, I was so unbelievably glad at my weapon being as strong as ever. My armor however, while tough enough to withstand the blows of a troll, did not fare as well in my crash, along with the long war we had just been through. I was tired, I was hungry, and I was _beyond furious_. A wise man (me) once said, 'I may lead an army, I may have the three best friends life can offer to me, and I can throw lightning like a god, but I'm still getting to stressed out for this bullshit.'

I got distracted for that brief second and ended up at the recieving end of a powerful swipe to the left shoulder, breaking my arm and the already damaged armor there. My body was flung into a tree chest-first, agony flaring in my lung, but I ignored it and stood shakily once again. 'No seriously, what are these things and how many of them are there!?' I thought angrily as I hefted my spear and pointed it at the sky. They all paused and reared back in a bout of fear as I screamed and yellow lightning coated my entire body and weapon.

"Oh, scared speechless are you? Don't worry- ** _COUGH-COUGH_** , you won't need to speak or growl anymore; because you'll all be dead!" I grimaced for a sec, idly thinking back to what I just said. "That sounded far more heroic in my mind," I muttered before stabbing the blade of my spear into the ground. " **Lion-Knight Skill: Lightning's Strike!** " Lightning exploded from my body and tore everything within twenty feet of me into burnt and melting ash, the Abyssal-Creatures included, a number screaming or roaring in pain before they were reduced to nothing.

As soon as it stopped, I felt all the strength leave my body and I landed flat on my face. 'Wait, that's not supposed to happen,' I thought bluntly before panicking a bit and trying to get up. Of course, my body wasn't listening to me. 'Damn... all that fighting completely wore me out,' I chuckled internally, my entire body rife with agony. 'I can't call forth any more lightning, and I'm unable to move with my ass in the air. Well, there could be worse ways to go.' I barely managed to move my eyes, quickly looking around for danger. It seemed that my power had killed the majority of the creatures. The rest were either injured, too scared to come closer to me, or both.

"That should last for a good five minutes before they charge at me again. Right then, time to come up with a crazy, idiotic plan," I muttered, my brain working as fast as it could. I scanned the area, and saw an opening in the pack of the black bone-armored bears, and there was a tall red tree just beyond them. 'Right then, up the tree I go.' I bit the inside of my cheek and wiggled forward, ignoring the pain I was in.

I couldn't help but grin at how my hand was so numb, i still continued to grip my spear, never letting go. Just as I got halfway to the tree, a giant footstep causing the ground to tremble. A massive evil presence washed over the area, making the hair on my neck stand on end as I flopped over and looked up. 'I really cannot get a break, can I?'

* * *

 **A.N: Of course I've got to end it there! Because why not, right? Anyway, sorry for the shorter than usual chapter, but mock-exams are literally tearing me a new one for the next week. Either way, see y'all later, Tengatsu out!**


	7. A new Ally, Captain Ornstein

**(A.N: Just a reminder, I own literally nothing aside from my own OC's. Peace-out)**

* * *

 **-(Into the Dark)-**

 **Chapter 3**

 **A new ally, Captain Ornstein**

 **Yang**

"Ugh..." I groaned as I slowly sat up in my bed, my hair splayed this-way and that. My left arm throbbed and hurt like a bitch for some reason. 'Oh yeah... the fight with Raiden. Damn, I got my shit kicked in,' I chuckled grunting as I tried to clench my fist, but it was so numb, I couldn't control it at all. Come to think of it, my entire arm was practically dead, something I found out when I tried to move it on my own after sliding out my bed. "You alright?" Blake asked me, her eyes flitting from her book to me. "Claire had told me that you should be careful with that arm, so take it easy and no hard training fro the day and tomorrow," She said sternly before looking back at her book.

I grinned and shot her a thumbs up. "Thanks for watching me in my sleep Blake!"

"Shut up." The corner of her eyes still crinkled a bit, and I could tell she was grinning. I laughed and walked into the bathroom, quickly taking a shower and getting changed with a bit of difficulty, my arm slowly getting better, my fingers wiggling just a bit. "Imma go out for some food, alright?" I called out to Blake as I put on my brown jacket, blue jeans, and yellow T-shirt.

"Speaking of which," I asked idly as I wrapped my orange scarf around my neck. "Where's Weiss and Ruby?" Blake was quiet for a sec, still most likely enamored in her book before answering, "Oh, Library for a study session."

I nodded and slipped on Ember Celica with one hand, throwing the left gauntlet in the air and quickly flopping my limp hand up, the bracelet form sliding cleanly onto my wrist. "Aaand she sticks the landing!" I shouted, posing with my legs apart and my right fist in the air. Blake clapped idly before going back to reading. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here for the next four years! See ya!" She waved goodbye just as I left our room, ready to eat.

After taking a quick flight on an airship to Central Vale, I walked confidently over to the one place which I knew was almost always open, and had some of the best food in town. It was a small but popular noodle-stand that sat almost right by the docking station of the airships, and I grinned as I sat down, the owner of the stand looking at me with his thin eyes and smiling.

"Hey Old Man Wok, got the usual?" He nodded before gesturing to my pocket. Rolling my eyes, I brought out my Lien and paid him in advance, a bowl of steaming noodles with chunks of sauced beef inside sliding towards me along with a grape soda. I gave him a thumbs up and dug in with one hand using chopsticks, shoveling the tastiness into my mouth.

While I was eating, I thought back to the fight yesterday. 'Raiden's way stronger than I let on, easily the strongest guy I've ever fought in my life. I'm not sure what his semblance is, but it pack an ever harder punch than mine!' I thought. 'He was holding back too, I could feel it in his aura. He was constantly suppressing his power through the fight, and only used it when he needed it, like when I used my own semblance.'

Contrary to what most people thought about me, I actually had the highest amount of control with my aura in my team, with Weiss being a really close second. I had to learn how to control it after-all, with my fighting-style and semblance being close to medium ranged, plus I was able to give myself a _few_ extra tricks up my sleeve. As to what they were, I-

"Yang, is that you?" I turned around, two noodles hanging from my mouth as I saw Raiden walking up, a grin on his face. He was wearing a black hoodie with an orange symbol on his chest, black finger-less gloves with dark orange knuckles, along with white sneakers and those weird blue and silver earrings. He also had a bag which looked like it had a lot of heavy stuff in it.

I slurped up the noodles and waved at him. "Yo, what's up?"

He slid into the chair next to mine after putting down his bag, that single orange strand of hair almost hanging in front of his face. "Eh, just shopping for some weapon-parts. I can't make my way to the top without a weapon just yet, I'm not my mother after-all," he chuckled. "Oh, hey Wok-san," He said to the man, actually giving an honest-to-Oum bow, something he returned. "I'll just have to usual." Wok shot me a raised eyebrow and a small, suggestive smile before rushing away to whip up whatever it was Raiden ordered.

'Wait, his mother...?' It took my a few seconds to realize who he was talking about, my eyes going wide as I dropped my chopsticks. Raiden's hand shot out, almost faster than I could see, catching them and calmly placing them by my bowl. "Your mother... is _the_ Rei Ryuka!?" I almost shouted, to which he smiled and put a finger on his lips.

I quieted down before I leaned in and whispered, "We're talking about the same woman who slaughtered over three-thousand Grimm in under a day in the Red Desert of Vacuo, with nothing but her fist and her Fighting Spirit alone? _That's_ who your mom is? She's the reason why I like punching things in the first place!" He nodded as a bowl of... huh, the same thing which I ordered slid in front of him.

"Yup, that's her. I've got a long way to being at her level, and by the time I reach it, she'll find a way to pull ahead again." He promptly lifted the giant bowl of noodles and beef to his mouth, literally gulping it down in ten seconds. He gently placed it down, burped slightly and wiped his mouth. "Aah, love that stuff," He sighed before turning to me, leaving a few Lien on the table.

"Anyway, I'm glad I caught you here. How's your arm?" He asked, gesturing to it. "Eh, it's a bit numb. You pack one hell of a punch," I chuckled, wiggling my fingers a bit. He grinned shyly and scratched his head. "Yeah... sorry about that, I may have went a bit overboard. That semblance of yours hold a lot of potential, something you mostly live up to."

I raised a brow at him, frowning slightly. "Mostly?" He held his hands up in surrender, that good-looking smile still on his good-looking face. "You're hearing me wrong. What I'm trying to say is that you've got hidden potential, something you can't access... by yourself, at least." He held out a fist for me before saying, "Look, I may not know you at all, but I want to offer to train you. Your semblance tells me that you're a person who wants to become stronger, beyond your own limits, even if it means suffering for it, right?"

I blinked in surprise, unable to say anything back. "Yang Xiao Long, may I have the honor of training you?" I thought for a few seconds, smiling a bit at the thought of becoming as strong as he was, if not even stronger. Plus, I'll be strong enough to find my mother... I put my knuckles on his, our aura sparking as they clashed. "You've got a deal. When do we start?"

 **Artorias**

I growled and pushed back on the flat of my blade, trying to fight back the massive stone fist of the Masked Giant. The Grimm had looked like it was put together in a half-assed manner, it's body and head a giant boulder, it's legs a pair of dead trees, and it's arms a mash of several rocks. "Ornstein, how's the leg faring!?" I shouted before slipping to the side and slicing up, cutting through chunk of the stone like paper. On the other hand, Ornstein was back up and running with the extra aura that I gave him, very rapidly healing most of his body to my surprise.

He laughed as he leaped around and delivered a barrage of wide slashes and stabs to the face of the Grimm, occasionally catching it on the rather tough mask, causing whatever was behind it to bellow deeply. Ciaran was on the ground, dancing through the minor Grimm, a trail of silver and gold behind her like banners as she sliced through all of them beautifully, her hair whipping in the wind behind her.

I was nearly crushed by a stone fist in my distraction before I rolled out of the way, though I still wasn't fast enough to get out of the way of its follow-up, it's fist swinging towards my chest. It slammed clean into it, my body flying through the air, into a tree and breaking it with a loud _**SNAP.**_ I sat there for a second, stunned by the blow... and how I didn't really feel it. Not only had my aura protected me, but my new armor had absorbed almost the full force of it.

Leaping back to my feet, I sprinted back into the fight, bellowing, " **Wolf Knight Skill!** " My blue aura surrounded me and my sword, power flowing through me as I prepared myself, the mask of the Grimm staring at me. " **Wolf-Leap Slash!** " I shot up into the air, my body forming into a tight ball as I continuously flipped head over heels before I slammed into the creature's face, the mask almost shattering as it screeched and fell on its ass with an echoing **BOOM**.

I landed in a roll and coming to my feet, my Auric flare faded, leaving me slightly breathless, a smile on my face as Ornstein, wreathed in a thin vale of yellow lightning, plunged down onto the beast, the sharp spear piercing right through the mask. This time, the Grimm let out an insanely loud scream of, " _ **RRAAAAAAAAAAAAUUAUUUUUUUGH!**_ " Making me press my hand to my head in pain, same thing with Ornstein and Ciaran. The small Grimm that were around, however, had a much more violent reaction, howling and roaring in tandem before they all collapsed, dead or dying.

The three of us stood there, breathing heavily as adrenaline left our bodies, Ciaran included. We calmly walked over to each other, putting our weapons away, Ciaran taking her mask off, Ornstein fixing his crimson hair, and I wiping a bit of blood from my mouth as we looked at one another before slamming ourselves into a group embrace, laughing and crying in equal measure as we sank to our knees.

I lightly punched Ornstein in the shoulder, a few tears of relief running down my face as we tightened our embrace. "You cocky bastard, how have you been?" I asked. He laughed, patting my back. "Been better, admittedly," He croaked.

"Oh, is my brother suddenly being truthful and humble?" She laughed. "This place seems to really change people for better or worse."

"Please, I had that under control," He shot back.

"You had a punctured lung with a shard of wood the size of my arm that would've collapsed it if I hadn't healed it."

"I had that under control too."

Ciaran scoffed, wiping her tears away before elbowing him in the stomach. "Overconfident oaf, I take back what I said." We all shared a hearty laugh before getting up, helping Ornstein to his feet. "Have you been treating my sister well?" He asked me as I put his arm around my shoulder. I coughed and felt my face heat up before I glanced to Ciaran, who looked away entirely, but it didn't hide how red her skin had gotten.

Ornstein looked between the two of us, a blank expression on his face. "...oh, I'm not talking about you to making very noisy love, if that's what you're thinking. I meant if you two are getting along well." I looked at him incredulously, my face still heating up.

"You... knew? Since when?" He rolled his eyes, smirking at Ciaran. "You're obvious first time in Artorias' room back in Anor Londo. I, and most likely the rest of the west-wing of the castle was kept up all night from Ciaran's rather loud cries. I think they went something like, 'Artorias, o-oh Artorias, yes, right-Ah-there!' or something like that," he said, mimicking Ciaran's voice quite well.

Ciaran's hand lashed out and slapped his face, her face beet-red from embarrassment. Ornstein burst into laughter before coughing violently, a bit of blood coming from his mouth as his knees buckled. We both steadied him before giving him our aura. Suddenly, I felt my aura unlock something within him, his own lightning yellow soul crackling around him. His eyes widened as he shrugged my hand away, standing up straight.

"This power... I feel even stronger than before!" He said, surprise in his voice, clenching his fists, his entire body glowing gold before fading. Before, where lightning thinly coated his body, he was now thickly covered in it. He pat his chest a bit before full-on punching himself in the face. "Incredible, it feels like I got hit by Lady Gwynevere's chest!" He laughed, bouncing lightly on his feet, hopping from one foot to the other.

He stopped and looked at both Ciaran and I, taking in our appearance before looking around him. "Where are we? What is this world?"

Ciaran and I looked at each other before looking back to him. "Ornstein... there is _much_ which we must discuss about."

 **Ornstein**

"I accept!" I said to the rather strange but dapper powerful man in front of me, shaking his hand. "Excellent. Welcome to Beacon Academy, Dragon-slayer Ornstein. I do hope that you understand our dire need of powerful allies such as yourself. However, I suggest for the rest of the day, you are not to make yourself seen by students, at least in those clothes. A very small number of students are aware of both Artorias' and Ciaran's actual identity, and I'd prefer to keep it that way for now in order not to cause mass panic and mistrust. The other Professors however have already been noted of your arrival."

Artorias, ever-reliable, stepped in and spoke to me, "The reason which the Headmaster wants this is because the creatures which we fought are attracted to negative emotion, and if an entire kingdom were to find out about us so suddenly, then it would most likely cause just that; mass panic and fear." I made a small 'ah' sound, completely understanding, and it did actually clear a few things up for me.

Back during our war against Manus and Seathe, a large number of corrupted puppets which were made by Seathe only seemed to get stronger, but only when people had begun to lose hope and feel despair in their hearts (until Artorias, Ciaran, Gough and I made an awe-inspiring speech which lifted everyone's spirits of course.) "Seems legitimate to me," I replied, nodding my head idly. Something was bothering me, for some reason...

'Why does it feel quite cold here?' I thought before looking down at my torn armor and clothing. 'Ah, I see.' I turned to Ciaran, asking "Do you have any ideas about where to get some form of clothing anywhere? My set is quite torn and ragged.' My sister rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand before pausing, looking at the Headmaster. He smiled kindly and gestured to the elevator. "You're all free to leave." To my surprise, both Artorias and Ciaran gave a noticeable bow of respect before dragging me to the elevator doors.

"You two hold quite the level of respect for that man," I stated to them, to which they nodded without hesitation. "He took all of us in without a second thought, especially for the greater good," Artorias explained before looking at Ciaran, both of them sharing a smile. "And he saved my soul." Artorias raised a hand and opened his palm, darkness pooling around it. "The Abyss...!" I gasped slightly, before taking a closer look at it.

Artorias had already told me about his half-corruption, and I've seen him use it to his advantage before in combat, but where the dark-purple aura would normally be violently bursting off of him like steam, now it calmly flowed around his hand. "Ozpin hit me with an attack that not only broke several ribs, but he also granted me complete control over the abyssal infection within me." Ciaran looked sharply at Artorias, something he also picked up.

"He broke your ribs!?" She shouted, making Artorias cringe. "Ciaran, he did it to save me," he deadpanned before grinning. "Though, I do appreciate you being so concerned for me." She blushed and closed her mouth quickly, crossing her arms and looking away, a small smile on one corner of her mouth. I rolled my eyes and smiled widely, ruffling her hair, annoying her.

"How cute, my ever-cold and heartless little sister enjoys being doted on by her knight in shining armor!" She knocked my hand away, her face turning redder and redder. Suddenly, the door to the elevator opened, and I froze as we were met with four girls, one with dark hair ending in red tips, one with pure white, and another with shadow-black. They stopped and stared at me, confusion in their eyes as they looked at my state of dress. I sighed and drew my fist back.

"Worry not, I know a place where I can hit a person and they will fall asleep, forgetting what happened a handful on minutes before," I said to Artorias and Ciaran. Before I could throw my fist out, Artorias quickly caught and gripped my wrist. "Still you hand! These are three of the four who know who we are," He hurriedly explained. I raised my eyebrows before bowing to them.

"Forgive me, my ladies. I am Captain Ornstein, leader of the Four Knights and the infamous Captain of the Guard, and wrecker of your ever-loving shit." The one with white hair seemed very surprised, the black-haired one seemed quite impassive, and the red-tipped one had stars in her eyes. "Hello Ruby, Weiss, Blake," Ciaran said to them, "Do you need us for something?" Ruby, I guessed, said as she tore her eyes off of me.

"N-no, sorry. I'm just trying to find Yang. She's gone off somewhere to eat and I have no idea where she is. She wasn't at Wok's so now I'm getting worried." She explained to us. "Oh, I see. Carry on then," Ciaran said as the three of us exited the elevator, letting the other three girl hop on. "They seem like good kids," I said to them, to which they smiled. "Quite so."

To-be-continued-

* * *

 **A.N: To those who don't understand, the Wolf/Lion Knight Skills used by Artorias and Ornstein are basically the Demigod's version of Auric Artes. Anyway, leave Fav and Follow if you like what you see, and don't be afraid to leave a Review. Peace Out!**


	8. Training, Flying, Fusions oh my!

**(A.N: Thank you for the much needed Follow! Once I get to roughly 13 Follows and Favs, I'll be extending the length of my chapters. Anyway, onto the new chapter for you guys!)**

* * *

 **-(Into the Dark)-**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Training, Flying and Fusions, Oh My!**

 **Raiden**

"If I can ask, why the cliff-side?" Yang asked me as we walked towards the open cliff by the giant lake surrounding Beacon Academy. I turned to her, my hands in my pockets as I explained. "For the kind of thing we're about to, we're gonna need an open space. I'd rather not damage the school arena, so dirt and grass it better." The blond raised a brow, a grin on her face. "Oh, into doing it in an open area? My goodness Raiden, ask me to dinner first!" I had failed to hold in my laughter, something that seemed to surprise her.

"You found that funny?" She asked.

"Why shouldn't I? That was a good one," I told her honestly, to which she bowed, that grin back on her face. "I'll be here for the next four years." I snickered again just as we reached our destination, the wind moving briskly and tousling my messy hair, blowing that annoying orange strand of hair into my eyes. "Right, here we are," I said to her. I sat down on the grass and slipped out of my sneakers and socks, my feet breathing. I sprung to my feet, stretching my legs and shoulders for a bit before bouncing on my feet. "Your arm good now?" I asked. She gave a thumbs up in response

"Raiden, before we start, I have to ask you something," Yang said. "Why do you wear those earrings? They look a bit strange on you." She gestured to the items of interest. "Oh, you mean my Potara? Yeah, they're sort of a back-up emergency gift given to my by my mom." Yang looked really intrigued by that. "You might call bullshit on this, perfectly understandable, but what they do it is that if I were to give one of them to another person, and they were to put it on the opposite ear where I was wearing my own, we'd literally fuse."

Yang stared at me before deadpanning, "I call bullshit on that." I nodded, a grin coming into my face. "Fair enough. If Kiko gets here soon, I'll show you. Anyway, lets begin." Yang instantly activated her gauntlets before getting into her boxing stance, lightly bouncing on her toes. "What's first?" She asked, her aura rising around her slightly. "Right, the first thing I want you to do... is hit me as hard as you can."

She faltered a bit. "...What?" I held out a hand, stopping her. "Let me repeat that again. I want you. To _hit_ me. As. _Hard_. _As you can_. Are we clear?" I asked her. She still stood loosely, bewildered. 'Alright, she tends to bring out her real power when she's mad. Let's try this then,' I thought. "Or are you unable to do even something as simple as that, hmm?" I taunted her, putting my hands in my pockets. "I mean, it makes sense, with that blond hair of yours, all the stuff that goes through one ear must come out the other like shit."

Her eyes flashed red and her aura rose around her more, the air heating up. "Hell, that's why you can't do shit against me. Weak." She snapped, flame bursting off of her body as she roared, blasting at me with a fist drawn back. 'She's still holding back,' I thought just before she slammed her knuckles into my chest, the blow burning the grass within a five-meter radius. "Still weak," I said as my own fist shot into her stomach, my aura propelling her away and into the ground.

"Alright," I said to her as she shakily got up. "I think you understand now. You. Your power. Hard as you can. Clear?" She hung her head for a second before looking up, absolute rage in her eyes as she growled. " **Crystal.** "

 **Yang**

To be honest, I knew what he was trying to do, and I'm still thankful for that, but my immediate response to his word were 'Beat the shit outta him,' and stuff like that. 'He wan't everything I've got? Fine!' I thought as I widened my stance, putting both my right and left hand to my side, my right palm facing my left palm. " **MYSTIC ARTE!** " I shouted, pouring all my strength into my hands.

Nothing happened for a second until a ball of golden aura started to violently glow in my hands. "This is my best ranged attack! You sure you can take this!?" I shouted at him, to which he nodded, widening his own stance and holding his hands up in a cross-arm guard. " **Here goes: 100%...!** " I shouted, the aura-sphere glowing violently before I shot my open palms at him, roaring, " **SUNLIGHT-BLAST!** "

A gold beam of aura violently shot from my hands, with roughly the thickness of about a meter, completely engulfing him before exploding in a flash of yellow, blinding me and throwing me back. I lay down on my back, completely exhausted for a few seconds before my aura began to heal me. "Oh shit, Raiden!" I muttered as I got to my feet, smoke and dust still in the air. "Raiden, are you alright!?" I shouted, coughing a bit and waving the dust from my eyes.

I was shocked as I saw Raiden walk out of the dust, grinning like an idiot. His hoodie and pants were scorched, and his tan skin had slightly darker burn-marks, mainly on his hands and face. "Shit Yang, you know about aura-blasts?" He asked excitedly, to which I nodded slowly. 'I think I might have hit him too hard,' I thought. "Wow, that kind of thing takes a lot of Auric Control, and with the level of control that you already have, that's gonna make thing way easier than I thought."

I continued to stare at him for a while, wondering how he managed to not only stay standing, but also take the full force of it and stay in one place without being blown back. That's when I noticed something weird. His hoodie and his pants seemed to be suddenly very... filled in (Hehehe, _aaaalllrriight_.) His muscles looked like they suddenly expanded inside his clothing, and god he looked _ripped_!

Raiden was looking at his hoodie, frowning a bit as he pat at the smoking parts before proceeding to take it off. 'Oh my god he is ripped-wait, what are those?' I deadpanned in my mind, staring at him. Just like his hoodie suggested, his body was (to say the very least) very well muscled, like a body-builder on some serious roids or a weight-lifting martial artist, but his muscles looked like someone had pumped air into them, making his looked body more ripped than usual.

What really interested me though, were the orange markings on his body. There were many of them, and they looked similar to tattoos, but they seemed to be burned onto him, scars going through some of them. "Uh... Raiden, three questions: How are you alright, how did you suddenly get so buff, and what are those markings on your body? Sorry about the hoodie by the way." He looked up at me as he began to air out his hoodie.

"Oh, to answer the first two questions, I'm fine because I channeled my aura into my muscles, increasing the mass and density of them, which increases my strength, speed, an defense. Second, these marks are... kind of a side effect from my semblance, when I first unlocked it." His face suddenly went dark, his mouth curling into a small snarl and his orange irises glowing orange, like fire. "It's not something I like to relive." I flinched a bit as his aura suddenly rose, his rage in the air for a second before he calmed down.

"Sorry 'bout that," He chuckled, scratching his head. "Didn't mean to lower the mood there." I waved my hand, putting a smile on my own face. "Don't mention it, it was my fault anyway. That, and your hoodie." He laughed a that one, his face now clearly happier. "Yeah, don't worry about the hood, I'll fix it sooner or later." He set the hoodie down on the grass and closed his eyes. Slowly, his muscles began to 'deflate', turning slimmer and more compact before it stopped. He was still really muscular, but now it suited him more, like a very fit swimmer or a boxer. Probably both.

"So, I'm gonna guess that's the kind of stuff you're gonna teach me?" I asked, to which he nodded. "Correct. That, and there's one specific Arte that I think would fit you and your fighting-style, semblance included. Just to be clear though, this only stays in between at most my team and your team. The Arte which I mainly want to teach you is incredibly dangerous, and few know of it."

Without hesitation, I slammed my knuckles together, nodding. "You've got a deal." He sighed in relief, smiling at me. "Great! Now, the Arte which I want to teach you is called the-!" He started just before someone else called out from the hill above.

"Yaaaang!" Ruby shouted, racing at me and tackling me into a hug. Weiss and Blake calmly followed her down the hill. "Don't just disappear like that, we couldn't find you!" She pouted. I laughed and tousled her hair. "Aw, don't you worry 'bout 'lil old me. Besides, I have this sexy piece of man-ass to protect me," I grinned, pointing to Raiden. Blake raised a brow and looked him up and down while Weiss (ever the prude) turned red and looked away.

"Sup Ruby," Raiden said casually.

"Hey Raiden!" She replied cheerily.

"Oh RAIDEN!" Someone from above, all of us looked up just in time to see a pissed off Kikoken practically fly through the air and slam her fist (which was encased in what looked like a purple ball of aura) into his face, a loud **BOOM** echoing through the open air. Raiden on the other hand went sailing through it, right off the cliff. "OH SHIT, RAIDEN!" I shouted, reaching out in vain. "Give it a sec," Kikoken angrily huffed, a scowl on her face. "Give it a sec? You just blew your brother off the side of a _two-mile high cliff!_ " Weiss shouted as she began to run over... until we all heard something weird.

It sounded like the roar of a Dust-Jet engine taking off, getting louder and louder by the second, and it was coming from the cliff-side. Suddenly, a streak of orange shot into the air with a _**WHOOSH**_ , actually blowing my hair up and and making me cover my eyes from the air-pressure.

We quickly looked up, and our jaws dropped to the floor. Raiden was flying through the god-damn air, his aura surrounding him just before he flew back to where we were, albeit slower than when he shot upwards, and gently touched-down feet first, his aura soon relaxing and disappearing.

"...Holy shit, you can fly using aura!?" I shouted as he walked over, rubbing his jaw. He nodded idly before glaring at Kiko. "The hell was that for?" He asked.

She held out her hand, glaring right back. "You took my scroll. Give it back." He raised a brow and fished out a scroll from his pocket, staring at it. "This is my scroll," he said bluntly. "Check your other damn pocket," She huffed angrily. He ended up fishing out another scroll, tossing it over to her. "Sorry," He sighed. She calmed down too, saying, "It's fine, I overreacted."

Something sparked in my mind as I looked between the two of them. "Raiden, I'm still calling bullshit about you two fusing," I said out loud.

 **Kikoken**

I glared at Yang, crossing my arms. "Oh no, I am _not_ fusing with him just for fun!" I shouted angrily. Raiden turned to my, putting his hands together and pleading, "Come on, what's wrong with showing off to our friends?" I snorted and sneered at him. "I've got no problem with showing off, it's just that our fusions always disgust me, no matter how strong we become!"

Yang raised a golden brow, smirking. "Oh, so you guys can't fuse?"

A vein in my forehead pulsed. I never liked being told I couldn't do something. "Screw you."

She winked, licking her lips before sighing, "Wow, hung up for nothing huh? Looks like you can't fuse after-all."

I fumed for a second before I held out my hand. "Just give me the damn earring," I muttered. Raiden gave me a shit-eating grin as he tossed me the left piece of the Potara. Just holding it, however... it made me smile and remember mom, who was still out there, fighting for days on end. I was about to clip it on before I looked at team RWBY, smirking. "Try to keep your pants on," I said just before I clipped it on.

As I did that, I felt my aura, my soul mash into Raiden's own, and our bodies literally flew at each other, slamming into each other as the sensation of the two of us merging and becoming one overwhelmed me. 'Alright, this is a pretty cool feeling.'

 **Weiss**

As a Schnee, I take pride in my above-average combat ability. Physically, I may have been the weakest on the team, but I was the second fastest and arguably the most agile and versatile within the four of us. When I saw Raiden beat Yang without much effort, I though that my mind had blown. Just seconds ago, when I saw him fly using nothing but aura at break-neck speeds, I had been further stunned, but what happened just now... I don't even know what to say anymore.

The siblings, as soon as they put on their rather fashionable earrings, they started to glow orange and purple respectively before they violently got slammed together by some invisible force, like the two of them were magnets. We were blinded by a flash of white light for a brief moment before it died down quickly, and as I looked up, I think that my brain my have shut down.

 **(Cue Music-DBZ, Vegito Japanese Theme)**

The two of them literally fused together, creating a new, and obviously powerful individual, a strange mix of purple and orange aura surrounding them. The new person was a female with well-tanned skin, strangely symmetrical purple marks running across her skin, glowing orange eyes along with strands of hair, a pair of baggy black pants, and a strange black shirt or jacket with orange edges that bared most of her toned midriff.

"Wh...which one is in control?" Blake asked, her cat-ears twitching violently under her bow.

The being looked at us and grinned, speaking in a voice that sounded like both siblings were speaking simultaneously. " **I am neither Raiden, nor Kikoken. Call me _Kikoden!_** "

 **(Music End)**

Her voice boomed dramatically before she slumped over with a frown. "Eh, still working on the name for us, what we have now is kinda cheesy." Her double-voice didn't boom this time as she casually scratched her head. "Well, yeah. This is our first fusion!" She said before she took off one earring and placed it right next to the other earring on her left, her body proceeding to glow again before from the white silhouette popped out Raiden and Kikoken, the girl landing flat on her face.

"...this is part of the reason why I hate fusions," She said through a mouth muffled with grass as she pushed herself up. Raiden had already landed on his feet, his hands on his knees, as he seemed winded. "True," He huffed back before looking at Yang. "The hardest part of two fusion-types is that they always use a lot of stamina once the fusion had been completed. The best parts about the 'Potara' fusion is that it burns through the least, and it can last infinitely so long as the being keeps the earrings on, and they're the only ones who can remove them in the first place. Only, there's one problem with that..." He trailed off.

"Using too much power in this fusion can make the formed being highly unstable, and can eventually split the being back into its original parts, which can be a problem in the heat of a fight. The other fusion, however..." Kikoken stated, also seemingly winded, "Is the most risky, but with the highest payoff."

"What is it?" Yang asked, surprisingly intrigued by the subject. 'She has been taking her training pretty seriously,' I thought.

"It's called many names, The Aura-Combining, Fusion-Dance, _Gattai-Da_ , and for some weird reason, Fabulous-Merging. Don't ask how I know the last one, it's a long story," She explained. "Can... we show them?" Raiden asked her, to which she rolled her eyes and glared at him. "No."

"But-"

" _No_."

"...Fine, I'm kinda tired anyway," He sighed, picking up and slipping his now slightly smoking hoodie on. "Well, let's continue to train, shall we Yang?" He asked, holding a hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her into a standing position. "Yeah, let's." The rest of us sat down, opting to watch Raiden teach Yang. 'This kind of power... I never new this world of fighting existed, and that it's within my grasp!'

 **Ozpin**

I smiled softly as I watched the young man with so much potential seek to spread it among others, something which reminded me of a time long past, when I was stronger and the ever-eager huntsman. 'Good times they were...' I thought as I leaned back in my chair. All of a sudden, my scroll had begun to ring. Curious, I pick it up and pressed the receive-button, putting the phone to my ear.

"Headmaster Ozpin speaking, who is this?"

"Hey Oz," A winded, very familiar voice called to me. I nearly dropped the phone when I realized who it was. "I've just finished my shift at the Red Desert in Vacuo, I trust my son and daughter made it into Beacon?" I smiled and nodded subconsciously. "Indeed they have. They take after you and your husband in many ways." Her laughter burst through the scroll, which was always a good thing to hear.

"Good, really good. I'll be visiting for the Vytal Festival Tournament in about a two weeks from now, alright? Tell them I'm coming. You have a good time trying to sort out all the papers that are probably lying down on your desk right now. Bye Ozpin!" She hung up, and I chuckled as I put my scroll down.

"Rei Ryuka, you are one interesting huntress," I sighed, smiling. I turned my chair around and grimaced at the stack of paper regarding the students from the other three combat academies who would be staying here. "Aah... she wasn't wrong," I muttered as I began my work, looking at the first team form, from Haven Academy. "Right then... team DARK. Drei Greyhound, Azure Shockblood, Rachel Scorch, and Kagome Kuroken," I muttered as I looked through their names, signing the paper to allow them to stay.

"Right, one complete... and two hundred more to go."

 **To Be Continued**

* * *

 **(A.N: Welp, yeah, fusions from DBZ are a thing. To kind of explain it further, I tried to balance the two of them out. The Potara Fusion can last forever, so long as the Fused keeps below at most 85% of their power, and they keep the earrings on. However, the stronger fusee needs to power down and match the weaker fusee, therefore creating the weaker Fused being. The Aura-Dance only lasts for a max of thirty minutes, but the Fusees can fuse at max power, even if they're at different levels, making a stronger warrior, but with a time limit. Anyway, see you guys later!**


	9. Behold, we are the DARK

**(A.N: Hey once again everybody, I'm sad to inform that this story has lost a follower. Nonetheless, in Monty's words, you just have to keep moving forward, which is what I will do. Anyway, just to add a bit more depth to the newer characters in the story, I'm giving them voices! This is how it goes** **for team Rock, it will be…**

 **Raiden-Johnny Yong Bosch (Ichigo, Bleach)**

 **Oro-Bryce Papenbrook (Eren Yeager, Attack on Titan)**

 **Claire- Meredith McCoy (Android 18, DBZ)**

 **Kikoken- Jennifer Laurence (Katniss Everdeen, Hunger Games)**

 **And that's who I've got. Back to the story then, now with increased length!)**

* * *

 **-(Into the Dark)-**

 **Chapter 9**

 **Behold, we are the D.A.R.K**

 **Raiden**

 **(Six Days later...)**

I wiped the sweat off my brow as as looked at my new weapons, still burning hot from the final bit of welding which I did. "Right, that's done," I muttered as I coated my hand in aura and grabbed it, dunking it into the water as it hissed and bubbled for a while. When the water stopped bubbling, I lifted it out and grinned, activating it's transformation. With several shifts and the sounds of metal being folded, they turned into two gunmetal-grey wristbands about half and inch thick, several small light-grey (emptied) dust crystals embedded within them.

"And it works perfectly too. Now to test them out later today." I packed away all the stuff I used into the cupboard and locked it, walking out of the Forges. "Have a good day!" The Blacksmith Professor called over to me just before I left. I waved back and went on my way to the lunch room. 'Lunch lasts for about another hour, so I should be alright,' I thought as I dusted the grime off of my shirt.

As I walked in, I instinctively dodged a full-on pie being thrown at my face. "Good to know I'm still well loved," I said to myself as half the cafeteria went silent to glance and murmur at me. I rolled my eyes and smirked at all of them, letting them know, 'If you all want to come at me now, go ahead.' I calmly walked over and got my food, load of beef, rice, and covered in teriyaki sauce before I snatched a melon soda and searched for my team. Naturally, they were sitting mixed in with team RWBY and JNPR, laughing, telling tales and having fun altogether.

I smiled as I sat in between Yang and Oro, who waved me over to the space. "Sup Raiden?" She asked, giving me that signature grin. "How did the weapon-making go?"

"It was shorter than I originally though it'd be," I said honestly. "I'm no crazy nut with weapons like Ruby," I pointed to the red-hooded girl, who grinned, "but I think I did a nice piece of work with my new babies." I held up my wristbands and showed it to Yang and Ruby. Ruby practically splayed herself on the table to see what I made. "Ooh, looks like a compact weapon like Yang's gauntlets, but even more complex," She deduced with a serious voice.

"Multi-Frame collapsible Technology, high-quality Black Iron, and..." She paused, seeming to stare at the dust-crystals. "Why do you have Empty-Dust in it? Isn't that practically useless?" I chuckled and nodded. "It is on its own. No elemental power, no kind of hidden energy within them unless you put aura in it, and completely dirt cheap; it's entirely _unused_ space." I emphasized 'unused', and it took a while for her to get it.

"Wait... you store aura in those?" She guessed, and I nodded, raising my aura and putting some in the multiple crystals on my right band, the gems turning from light grey to sunset orange, pulsing slightly. "Hey, that's pretty good!" Yang said to me. "Aura naturally recharges on its own, so you can keep putting a small amount of aura into them and use them as a back-up in the case that you end up low on it. Nice!"

"That's correct. Though, they can do more than just store aura... I'll show you later today in the last combat class," I said.

"What's it's name?" Ruby asked, curious.

I thought about that for a second. I never thought to give them a name, but... "I think I'll go with... Ashura's Fists." I felt my sister glance at me at the name, a small smile following. "Ashura's Fists? Who's this Ashura figure?" Weiss asked. "He's said to be a God of Wrath in one of Mistral's many religions, but is often regarded as one of the most powerful beings who roamed the world, fighting for the sake of fighting, always bathed in anger." Kiko explained to her. "Until one day, he met a woman strong enough to match him in unarmed combat. They eventually fell in love and had children, but he had to leave because of his eternal curse."

"Curse?" Blake asked after swallowing a heap of tuna. "His curse was to eternally wander the land, killing only Grimm and to never settle down in one place, lest he begun to slowly die and fade away, all that he loved fated to die with him if he stayed in one place," I finished. Ren surprisingly was the one to step in. "That's strange, I think that I've heard of it before."

"Oh yeah, you're from Mistral too right?" Oro asked, putting his hands together respectfully and bowing, a gesture which Ren returned. "Yes I am. Anyway, I'm fairly sure that the name of the Religion was the 'Way of the Shura', correct?"

"Yeah, that's it. It's kind of dead now from what I know," I replied before digging in. 'Good, but it doesn't taste like home.'

"Oh, have you heard that four more teams from Haven have arrived here?" Jaune asked. "They all look pretty tough... I'm kinda worried about our chances at winning, with how strong you guys are." Kiko punched his shoulder, smirking. "Don't be such a wuss Jaune, you've got a great team, and you're a good leader from what I've heard." Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him. "She's right Jaune, and you're getting better with the sword day after day." When he smiled back at her, she looked away with her cheeks red, surprising me.

'...Wait, are you serious?' I thought. 'Pyrrha Nikos likes the infamous weenie, Jaune? Shit, I should have noticed that before!' I remember all the times when she reacted in such ways around him, I just ignored or discarded it. 'Damn, she probably fantasizes about the kinkiest shit going on between them,' I laughed in my mind.

"Jaune, do you know about any team names?" Claire asked, being incredibly analytic as per usual. "It may help us when the tournament comes around." The shaggy blond thought for a moment before listing them off. "They were something like...LEVL, PURL, PINK and some last one... uh... for the life of me, I can't remember it right. It was like DANK, or DUNK..."

Me and my team froze, a dead expression on our faces. My anger was starting to bubble up, and I hoped that is wasn't who I thought it was. "...Is the name Team DARK?" His eyes lit up in recognition. "Yeah, that was the one!"

Instantly, my aura exploded around me as I leaped across the table, grabbing Jaune and grabbing his collar, slamming him into the floor, roaring, " **WHERE ARE THEY!? TELL ME, WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY!** " He went went white from fear, raising his hands in defense.

"I-I saw them in the courtyard last, that's all I know man!"

I ignored the looks of shock and fear I got from the others and focused on my team, all of whom were bristling with anger, Oro's aura rising off him like steam as he bared his teeth, Claire's ears folded flat against her head, her eyes blue slits, and Kiko's purple highlight glowing, bits of food floating around her. I picked up the poor guy and dusted him off before looking back at them. " **Let's go.** "

 **Ruby**

We watched in silence as the team stormed out of the cafeteria, everyone's eyes glued to them. Raiden was so mad, he actually blew the doors off of their hinges with a loud **_BANG_** , still walking smoothly out the opening. People instantly burst into chatter, almost everything said about them mean and derogatory.

"Wow, what's wrong with the wonder-team?"

"They;re probably angry over some territorial dispute. Guess they really are Mistralian then!"

"Oh, I thought the team leader spilled his noodles over himself."

"Hah, I get it, it's cuz' he's Asian!"

"What the hell does 'Asian' mean?"

"Hell if I know!"

I saw everyone on our table glare at the people around us, Jaune included to my surprise. Yang had the most noticeable reaction, her hair beginning to glow and her eyes turning red, a golden aura rising around her. She shot up out of her seat and roared, "SHUT UP!" Slamming her fist into her spaghetti and burning it to a crisp, everyone turning silent. The table actually cracked loudly, almost collapsing in on itself. Her training with Raiden was pretty clearly paying off.

"The only thing you've ever done when their around is talk bullshit about them!" She shouted. "You couldn't even scratch them even if you went all out!"

Pumped up and angry, I stood up next to my sister. "Yeah, she's right! But their hunters and huntresses just like us; why? Why do you do nothing but belittle and berate them just for being from Haven?"

Weiss stood next to me, elegant as ever. "As a Schnee, I take pride in the fact that I'm a huntress alongside people of great moral value. Now, I'm no longer sure what to think about all of you."

Blake shot up too, furious. "Racism to Faunus is one thing, but the fact that you can't even get along with your own kind sickens me to the very core! I start to wonder whether you can ever be redeemed."

They all stared at us, some of them ashamed, others glaring. I felt sick to my stomach, scowling right back at them... I've never felt this confident in my life, with my team standing by me. Team JNPR stood up as well, saying nothing but supporting us. "Let's find Raiden. I think I lost my appetite."

The eight of us walked out of the cafeteria, Yang putting a hand on my shoulder and grinning. "Good job sis."

 **Artorias**

"This place continues to surprise me," Ornstein sighed contently, basking in the sun. "It's much like a smaller version of Anor Londo." What he wore was incredibly fitting of his slimmer, lithe figure, wearing a crimson suit and tie, a white dress-shirt underneath, complete with black shoes and a pair of large shades which fit him perfectly.

"Indeed. How is your armor coming along?" The Forging Professor had also taken his armor to remake it, much like with what he did with mine and Ciaran's. "Oh, he says it will be ready by tomorrow, bless that man!" he laughed heartily. "Well, I can assure you that it will be remade quite nicely." Ornstein had taken quite a liking to the school and very quickly, being placed with the portly Professor Port. Their bombastic natures mirrored each other quite nicely, and they got along swimmingly, commonly discussing the Grimm and their weakness.

"So..." He started, leaning towards me with a grin, dropping his shades below his eyes slightly. "You and my sister."

I coughed and looked away, embarrassed to talk to him about that. "What about it?" I asked as gruffly as possible.

"Well, as leader of the four, I think it'd be a requirement for you to talk to me about it, is that not so? She is my sister after-all," He said, that shit-eating grin still on his face. "There is nothing to discuss," I replied unevenly.

"Oh, is that so? I'd say that's not the case... you two are not the most subtle of lovers. You two come out of the same room, clothes messy and hair wild, you both go off during our old patrols on the same route, together may I add, and you aren't the quietest of love-makers."

My mind drifted back to that first night we decided to do the deed. 'Admittedly... that was an incredible night,' I thought, my face heating up. Suddenly, we ran into a group of people, first-years I had never seen before. The first was a Wolf-Faunus, with iron-grey hair and almost white eyes, a jagged scar running through the left-side of his lips. He wore a ragged-looking dark leather-breastplate, decorated with many gashes and had a few iron pads on them, most of it on his right-shoulder-guard. His black pants and combat-boots were unarmored and practical. 'A quick mover and heavy-hitter. Interesting style.'

The next was a large, muscular Reptilian-Faunus, his spiny tail an electric blue, along with a solid metal pair of gauntlets, bits of gold embedded within the knuckles and on other parts of his clothing, mainly his dark-blue shoes, parts of his belt and even as earrings. His face was strong-jawed, his eyes neon green, and his hair a dark shade of blue. 'Not sure what his battle-type is, but it appears to be similar to the Wolf-Faunus.'

Then came the first girl dressed in a full set of blood-red with grey accented Eastern Armor, the armor of a samurai. Though, she was lacking a helmet, revealing her lightly tanned skin, sharp rouge eyes and ears on the top of her head, though I was unsure what kind of canine Faunus she was. A large grey blade that radiated heat hung from her back, clearly a heavy-weapon. 'Well armored and a hard striker,' I thought.

Finally, I looked at the slim girl in the middle of the three of them, and suddenly every instinct within me screamed to leap back. She was dressed in a pure black dress that cut up the sides, showing fairly toned legs, with simple slippers that were also black. Her chestplate was very ornate, made from a darker version of black iron, intricate lines and patterns, covering from her collar all the way down to her midriff. Her face was quite pretty for her age, roughly seventeen if I guessed, with pale skin and wide eyes, colored like obsidian, framed by straight, shining dark hair.

But the aura surrounding her... 'No doubt... she's of the Abyss!' I thought, itching to grab my sword. For some reason, I felt as if there was another person, or at least something humanoid right next to her, I could not see what it was. "Forgive us," Ornstein said, saving me from my silence. "We did not see where we were going. I assume that you are the new arrivals from Haven Academy?" He asked smoothly. The girl in the black dress came forward, her voice firm, dark, commanding... and full of hidden malice.

She bowed respectfully before looking back at him, a small smile on her face. "Yes, we have just arrived about three hours ago. Do you have any idea where the dorms are by chance?" She asked him. "Ah, from here, you just take a left and-"

" **KAGOME KUROKEN**!" A voice bellowed behind us. I turned and saw the young student Raiden and his team behind him, they boy's aura bursting around him like a sunset flame. Said girl whom was speaking to us, grinned almost seductively, walking right past Ornstein and I, her team following her. "Raiden Ryuka!" Her voice suddenly echoed through the courtyard, students all around looking at what was going on. Ornstein moved to get in between them, but I grabbed his shoulder. "Artorias, they're going to kill each other, I can smell the murderous intent from the two of them, not to mention the girl reeking of Abyss!"

I simply shook my head, and Ornstein seemed to understand, barely relaxing and deciding to view the oncoming fight. "I hope that you're instincts are correct," He muttered at me. "Honestly Captain... I wish I was wrong."

 **Yang**

"The two teams are in the courtyard right now, squaring up! Man, it's gonna be such a good fight!" All eight of us heard that, and we rushed over to the action. True to what the random guy said, Team ROCK was standing in front of team DARK, the former looking like they were about to try and tear them apart. "It's such a pleasure to see you again, Raiden." The girl who spoke was in a black dress, and she was... well, she was gorgeous at minimum. Pale sharp face, dark mysterious eyes, flowing straight black hair, a rich, seductive voice that gave my own a run for my money... damn.

" **What the hell are you doing here!?** " Raiden shouted, taking another step closer to her, the ground under his feet cracking. " **You've already taken me out of Haven, what more do you want from me, from my _team!?_ " **He screamed, his aura bursting from him more violently. 'Taken him out of Haven...?'

She licked her lips, taking another step to him. "I'm participating int the Vytal Tournament, obviously. It shall cement my power over someone like you... among other things." She put a finger to her lip, her eyes going seductive again. "After that... well, you're mother will not be so pleased with a failure of a son and a daughter." Raiden and Kikoken both bared their teeth and were about to leap at her, barely a meter apart. Before they could, I quickly activated Ember Celica, pointing at the ground behind me while focusing my aura into my legs, blasting off to them with a BANG.

I landed right between the three of them, spreading my arms out and grabbing their shoulders. "Raiden, Kiko, hold on for a second! What's this all about?" I asked him. As his raging eyes met mine, he calmed down, making me feel a bit proud. " **The girl behind you is the reason that my entire team got banished from Haven out into the wild for six months before we could enroll into Beacon... by framing me for the harm and near death of another student.** "

I looked at the girl incredulously before my own rage kicked in. "You... you're the one who sent him here?" I asked her, already hating her. She raised an eyebrow and scowled at me, a pitch black aura suddenly rising around her. It felt _way_ too similar to Artorias' when I first fought him, giving me the creeps. "And just who is this... _blond backwoods occupant?_ " She asked. I smirked and pointed at myself with my thumb. "The name's Yang Xiao Long, and Raiden's a close friend and mentor of mine, so you can kiss off!"

 **(Que Music-DBZ, Battle Theme 2)**

Her aura suddenly exploded, and every hair on the back of my neck stood up, screaming at me to dodge. Then out of thin air, a fist of glossy white skin wearing a black finger-less glove studded with gold rammed into my face, damn near knocking my lights out, and I would have had it not been for Raiden's training. I set my feet and rushed forward, shooting my fist at her. Her entire figure seemed to blur out of the way as she whipped a wicked black spear out.

" **DON"T YOU DARE!** " Raiden roared, pushing me out of the way of a vicious stab and grabbing the spear shaft. I leaped to my feet and rushed in again, blocking that weird fist that seemed to come out of nowhere, it's knuckled digging into my palm painfully. 'Sh-shit, was is this, her semblance?' Raiden suddenly pushed me away and onto my ass, fairly unceremoniously.

" **Yang, back off for now, you don't have the strength to fight her-!** " He started until another fist, the left one this time blasted into his face. He took it flush to the jaw, his eyes going blank for a second before he growled and shot several feet into the air. She followed him disturbingly quickly, her barrage of stabs a blur while they flew up before coming down in tandem, still throwing attacks at each other.

They didn't even recoil as they touched the ground, leaping right at each other again in that insanely fast blur, fists and spear flying. The others were simply watching in awe, including the . "I... I can barely see them!" Ruby said, and all of us turned to her in surprise. Her Speed Semblance had a few side-effects along with rose-petals; because of that, her metabolism was incredibly high, hence why she ate so much of those cookies and didn't gain any weight, along with a lot of her bodily processes being sped-up, including her perception of things that were moving.

In other words, things that would look fast to me would seem moderate to Ruby, so for her to barely see the two of them was saying how fast they were moving. They suddenly disappeared before reappearing a few meters off to the left, Raiden throwing a vicious roundhouse kick to her head and landing with a sickening _**CRACK,**_ staggering her. " **Wrath Arte...!** " He seemed to warp again, appearing behind her in a slight crouch, both palms facing her back, his fingers spread out.

" **RAGING BLAST!** " Orange energy exploded from his palms, completely engulfing her and throwing him back like a rag-doll. He rolled back to his feet, and I watched in horror as the dust cleared around him to reveal his savagely broken and gashed arm, an inch of bone jutting from it, blood pouring onto the stone. His face was still completely take over by rage, his eyes and highlights glowing brightly. 'Highlights? I thought he had just one?' I thought in the back of my mind.

As the dust settled around the blast-zone, everyone was shocked to see Kagome standing with a few scorch-marks... along with something else that made my spine crawl. In front of her was a tall, incredibly muscular male-like being, its skin a glossy white and its face showing off a sharp jawline while wearing a spiky black crown. It's eyes were almost pure black with white pinpoints in the middle for pupils.

From the bottom of its eyes were black tear-like markings trailing to its jaw. It wore those finger-less gloves which I saw and got hit by, and it also had on a very baggy pair of white pants, the kind you'd wear if you were living in Vacuo. " **So, you've brought out your Semblance, huh?** " Raiden mocked. " **You're getting sloppy, bitch!** " She snorted and spat a giant wad of blood out, scowling. "To think you made me use 'G-W.A.T'... still, for you to break your arm and you aren't even at half-power, you're loosing that rough touch of yours, child of Wrath."

 **(Music end)**

The fight seemed to have left them both, and they stood up, brushing themselves off, the male being actually bowing at Raiden respectfully (its eyes actually turning pure white) before Kagome angrily glaring at it, the thing suddenly stiffening and its eyes turning back to black. She turned away and almost her entire team following her aside from a blue-themed Lizard Faunus. Ruby and the rest of us ran up to Raiden, worried to hell about him.

"Raiden, are you alright!? Your arm...!" I panicked, looking at the near-mangled thing. He looked at it as if finally noticing it, pain flaring across his face. "H-hah, forgot about that," He chuckled, his voice no longer having that wrathful edge, before grabbing his wrist and savagely pulling it back into place, the bone sliding back into his skin with a sickening _squelch,_ making all of us cringe at the sight, Weiss actually turning green. He breathed in deeply, and it looked like the bone underneath his skin was glowing intensely before his tanned skin did the same, blinding us.

When we looked back, his arm seemed almost completely fine aside from a few small, rapidly healing scratches. He was breathing a bit deeply, but he didn't really seem winded at all. "You channeled all of your aura into your wounds and quickly healed it? That's... I'd say that's amazing if it weren't for the other things you're capable of," Weiss admitted sheepishly. Raiden and the rest of his team grinned at her lopsidedly, still calming down. There a pointed cough, and all of us turned to glare at the Lizard Faunus. Everyone except Raiden and his team, funnily enough.

"Hey Raiden, good to see you still in shape," he spoke in an even tone, walking up to him. "Long time no see, sparky," He chuckled back and clasped his uninjured hand to his, sharing a handshake. "Wait, I thought you didn't get along with their team?" Blake asked, confused. "Well, screw the rest of them," Oro butt in, "But this guy's cool with us... 'specially a certain one of us. Say hello to Azure Shockblood!"

"Let me guess, you have an electricity semblance?" Nora asked, excited, to which he nodded. She jumped and hugged him in joy, actually lifting him off the ground. "Nora!" Ren reprimanded her, to which she laughed and put him down, no worse for wear. "Sorry!" She said before going back to being glued by Ren. Another 'Ahem!' was sounded in the group, and Azure turned to face Kikoken... both of them turning red.

They were silent for a while, their gazes held tightly. "So," Kiko started, her voice surprisingly weak. "Been a while huh?" Azure nodded awkwardly, hand scratching the back of his head while his tail flicked nervously. "Yeah. Too long... Kiko." She looked down, her hair concealing her eyes, but not the sudden tears, and what shocked me was that she seemed so tough on the outside. 'Oh shit, I'm watching a lover's reunion,' I deadpanned in my head. Suddenly, she viciously punched him in the jaw, his expression pained but not even shocked.

"That's for not leaving a single message to me for half a year!" She shouted angrily before grabbing him by the collar of his blue shirt. Azure went with the flow, and suddenly pulled her into a deep kiss, her eyes going wide in surprise. 'Aaand called it,' I thought, everyone else (again excluding team ROCK) gasping. He pulled back, and said, "And that's my penance. Have I paid up enough?" He asked, almost lovingly, brushing a tear off of her cheek. Her face was red again, though she giggled slightly (in the time that I've known her, Kikoken _never_ giggled once) before looking back up at him, pulling him even closer. "Not in the slightest. You still owe me ten times that," She said to him, smiling slightly.

He smiled back, and both of them leaned in in tandem, kissing again, even deeper. For a while, all what silent until we all screamed, "OOOOOOOOHHH!", me included. They parted quickly, remembering they were in public and turning tomato red. 'Damn if that isn't a highlight of the day!' I thought before looking back at Raiden, my smile dying slightly as I thought about what he said, how his team was expelled from Haven. '...I... I want to help him,' I thought, determined. 'He's barely known be for a week, but I want to help him. It's the least he deserves, after helping me.'

 **Kagome Kuroken, the strongest in Haven Academy**

I scowled as I saw Azure stay behind with Raiden's sister, opting to leave him to is devices for now. "I'm telling you, we should just kill him and be done with it!" Drei argued to Rachel. "He's weak in terms of sticking together with us and the plan, there's no doubt about that, but he's a valuable Tank on our team. Your semblance is close to his when it comes to raw power and speed, but in terms of flexibility, durability, and that gold-like control which he has over it... even you know he's stronger than you."

I smirked and shook my head slightly. Both of them saw and misinterpreted it, bowing instantly. "Forgive me for suggesting such a thing, Lady Kagome," Drei said apologetically, his ears folding on his head. Rachel did the same, her fox-ears doing the same, though she opted to stay quiet. "Worry not about it," I waved them off. "That decision, while mine to handle, will have useful factors such as the two of you covered implemented in my choice. Now..." I trailed off as I looked at the dormitory building.

"Where are you, dear sister Cinder?"

* * *

 **A.N: Hah, imagine the menacing kanji appearing behind Kagome as she said the last line. Anyway, say hello to the new OC team, cuz they say hello to you too. More info will be revealed about them in the next chapter, so stay tuned and peace out!**


	10. Limits have been Broken

**(A.N: And welcome back to the story. So far, starting to get back on track, so hope is not lost yet thankfully. Anyway, let's get right into it. P.S, I don't own anything minus my OC's.)**

* * *

 **Into the Dark**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Limits have been broken!**

* * *

 **Raiden (Arena Amphitheater)**

I sat in the arena, completely alone and waiting for the next class to begin while I calmed down... or tried to. 'Kagome... damn it!' I clenched my fists, trying to calm down. "Why... why here of all places?" I growled.

"It might be because she despises you," A new voice said. I quickly turned and saw Yang, slowly walking towards me, and I actually simmered a bit. I registered her words as she sat next to me. "Yeah, you're... not wrong." We sat in this warm, comfortable silence for a while before she asked, "Wanna talk about it?" I thought for a bit before I nodded. "Sure, why the hell not? Kagome and I... well, we were once friendly rivals, and eventually, we..." I coughed uncomfortably, shifting in my seat.

"We became... _more_ than just friends."

Yang raised a brow and grinned, though it didn't really reach her eyes. "Oh, so you smashed?"

I scowled and playfully backhanded her shoulder; she caught my hand quickly to my surprise. "You're getting faster," I commented.

"I have a good teacher."

I rolled my eyes and smiled slightly. "Anyway, never-mind me, just go on." I nodded and went back to my pathetic sob-story. "Yeah... turned out that she didn't like the fact that I was stronger than her for some reason for the other, and I eventually became the strongest in Haven, so we... sort of grew apart." That happy look dropped off her face, and I felt a bit bad; I actually liked that look on her face. "Don't lie to me. She was at your throat because she was jealous of your strength, wasn't she?"

I sighed and nodded. Yang, in the week that I've known her, was surprisingly perceptive. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. One day, roughly six months ago, my team and I were called up to Headmaster Lionheart's office. Kagome was there, that shit-eating smirk on her face, and it was just announced that we were expelled. A friend of mine whom you've already met, Azure, was found badly injured and near-death, and Kagome managed to frame it perfectly on me. Hell, she even took my shoes and bits of my damned hair, she planned the entire thing out without a hitch."

"I knew she was the one who did it, and, I just... lost it." I rolled up my sleeve up to my shoulder and showed her my orange scars and markings. "That was when I forcibly unlocked my semblance, my own power scarring me for life, burning these marks into my skin. I literally nearly drowned in my own rage, grabbing her by the face and sending us hurling out of the tallest building in Haven, and I swear," I started, my voice rising and my aura visibly manifesting. "If I could, I'd do it over, and over, and _fucking over again, right up until she was beaten to a bloody paste for what she cost me and my team._ "

Suddenly, Yang's hand gripped my hand, again calming me down. 'How does she do that?' I thought. She looked at me, a surprisingly soft but serious look on her face. "Raiden... just, listen to me for a second. You've decided for some reason or the other to help me get stronger, and I want to help you back. So... I'm going to tell you something about myself, something only Ruby and Blake knows about. My mom... she was the coolest. Cookie-baker, monster-slayer, you name it, she did it. But one day, she left for a mission and just... never came back."

My eyebrows shot up into the air at that. I couldn't image my life without my mom to help me. "My dad shut down, and I found out why. Summer Rose was Ruby's mother and my step-mother. The first love of his life... was my mom. Raven Branwen. She left me when I was just a child, and then Summer stepped in." I don't think I could have been more surprised. "The Red Death herself? Damn Yang." She smirked a bit before going back to her own story. "Yeah. When I tried to ask my dad, who had shut down, about my mom, I got nothing, so I went out to find my own clues."

"Eventually, I found something that I acted stupidly on, taking Ruby, who was around five years old with me. I wandered for hours until I found it, one of my mom's old safe-houses. Then... then came the Grimm. I couldn't defend myself or Ruby, but my uncle Qrow showed up just in time, saving our asses. The point I'm trying to make is that... going too fast to your goal, be it finding something or tying to exact revenge... it'll only lead to something bad. But, I'm not saying to stop: just... slow down. I'm still trying to find my mom, but I won't let that search control who I am. I think it could be the same for you too."

I just stared at Yang blankly, taking it all in. She got a bit uncomfortable, waving my hand in front of my face. "U-um, hello, you still there?" I smiled and nodded, still looking at her. "...You're not saying anything, and that's kinda weirding me out. Seriously, are you alright?"

I laughed and waved my hands frantically, "Yeah, yeah, sorry about that! It's just that... I didn't think you we so... wise." It was her turn to have her eyebrows raised, a slight blush on her cheeks, making my heart skip a beat. "Huh?" She asked.

"Yang, I never knew you were that insightful. To be honest, I don't think anybody's given me such good advice, not even my mother." I looked at her and smiled, sincerely saying to her, "Thank you Yang, I needed that." She stared at me and grinned, a surprisingly cute blush on her face. "Hah, no need for the thanks. You've already helped me out, so I think it's only fair for me to return the favor." I smiled back, fist-bumping her and staying silent for a while, my heart and heat clear. 'Slow down huh? I'll have to try it.'

"Next question," Yang started seriously, and I slightly turned to her. "That... that weird human-ish thing that appeared around her and punched me. That was her semblance, wasn't it? I've never seen a Construct-Type like that!" I scowled and looked off into the distance as I spoke to her. "Yeah, and it's pretty likely that it's the only kind you'll ever see in your life. Her semblance is a super-rare Semblance known as a 'Stand'. The reason why it's so rare is because a person's aura and mental will-power need to be so strong, they manifest as a completely different being which they can control."

I looked at my fist before clenching it slightly. "The worst part about it is that the Stand itself comes with it's own unique ability, which is technically supposed to be the user's true semblance. That being said, you might as well be fighting a person with two semblances, or two people with a shared semblance. You heard it being called G-W.A.T, and it's a fitting name. It literally stands-" I hear Yang snicker at that, and I smirked at her.

"Hah-hah, no pun intended. Anyway, it stands for Gone Without A Trace, which gives you a hint as to what its ability is. Might as well tell you, it's-"

Just as I was about to tell her, the doors to the class burst open, students quickly filling the seats in. Instantly, my eyes landed on Kagome's and I snarled at her. She didn't hesitate to return the expression. 'Slow down,' Yang's voice said to me in my head, and I breathed in, calming down. When most of the students sat down, Professor Ciara, walked in, almost gliding across the floor, everyone going silent. "Welcome once again class," She said, her sharp, cold voice washing over us. "Today, we will simply be going over basic sparring with random matches. As per usual, no excessive maiming is allowed for now, and no killing. Ring-outs, surrendering, Aura-levels below 5% or being knocked out will result in a loss. Am I understood?"

A chorus of, "Yes Professor Ciara," echoed through the room, and she looked satisfied. Barely. "Anyway, let us see who the first match-up of the evening will be," She said, pulling out her scroll from her armor, starting up the randomization process, the Aura-Display on the wall showing it to us. "The first combatant will be... Kagome Kuroken." I sighed and shook my head, thinking about the poor student who'd be pared up with her. "The next combatant is... Yang Xiao Long." Then and there, I felt my heart drop to my balls.

 **Ciaran**

The moment I called it, I knew it was a mistake. I wanted to call it off, but that would raise suspicion among the class, and I knew I couldn't risk it. With that Kagome child being of the Abyss, it was a massive risk to allow her to fight anyone, even someone as headstrong as Xiao Long. "Combatants... please step into the arena." Yang and Kagome looked at each other, hate and curiosity flaring across their face. 'Gods help me, the already hate each other,' I thought as they stepped in, staring each other down.

"The match will begin in 30 seconds, I expect a clean fight from the two of you, understood?" They nodded idly as they sized one another up. "So, Raiden has taken you under his wing? What a waste," Kagome called. Yang smirked and put a hand on her hip, her eyes flashing red. "Jealous I managed to get with your ex?" Rage flared across Kagome's face, her Abyssal aura rising around her. "I will make you regret saying that," She said murderously, whipping out her spear and moving into a stance, her feet apart and the weapon pointed at Yang.

 **(Que Music: DBZ Battle theme 1)**

"You'll die trying," The brawler replied, her face turning serious as she slipped into her own boxing stance, bouncing on the ball of her feet. "5...4...3...2...1... Begin!" I shouted.

Without a second thought, Yang leaped right at her, furious determination on her face. "Don't do it Yang, back off and be defensive!" Raiden shouted, panic laced in his voice, though Yang didn't hear a word. Suddenly, Yang's strength exploded from her, her hair glowing as she threw the first punch. 'That's strange, she hasn't even gotten hit yet...'

Kagome bat it aside and swung the shaft of the spear right into Yang's jaw with a resounding clang. Yang rolled with the blow, quickly coming back to her feet and dashing at her again, faster than before. She wasn't swinging wildly this time; she came right into her, dodging a stab and slipping through her guard faster than I've seen her do. 'She's gotten faster...' I thought as she shot her fist out. Again, it was bat aside and Kagome easily stepped out of range, swinging her spear at Yang's calf.

Yang instantly took her chance, stomping on the spear and wrenching it our of her hands, quickly kicking it out of the ring. 'Remove the fangs from the snake. Well done,' I thought. However, Kagome didn't even look fazed; as a matter of fact, she looked gleeful, sliding into a strange stance, her feet apart, her left side facing Yang, while her left hand was up by her face as if she was trying to keep the sun's glare out of her eyes, her right fist by her right side.

Still, Yang moved forward, and I sensed her aura trickling into her legs and feet, speeding her up considerably. "Let's see how well you fare against my attack rush," Kagome said as she disappeared, and Yang stopped, her guard up and her eyes darting all over the place. Her head was violently jerked back from an invisible blow, blood spurting from her nose. She stayed on her feet, her guard tight. 'She's moving faster than the eye can see,' I thought as I saw small clouds of dust being kicked up randomly.

Again, another invisible strike hit her in the side, causing her to wince and her legs to buckle. It was quiet for a few moments before all of a sudden, Yang was being flung around by a rag-doll, her head slammed into the ground before she was flung up into the air, Kagome appearing soon after, along with that strange humanoid being which Artorias warned me about.

Just as Yang fell, the being unleashed a storm of punches, Yang being hit almost everywhere on her body before Kagome appeared behind her and grabbed her hair, hurling her over her shoulder and into the ground, Yang's gauntlets flying off and into the seats. Yang tucked her body tightly and landed on her feet , reversing the throw and launching the dress-clad girl in the air with ease, her golden aura flaring even further than before.

"Auric Arte: Brave Heat!" She roared as her fist was coated in fire, dashing forward as she channeled aura into her legs and feet again, considerably speeding her movements up before she slammed her fist into Kagome's stomach before back-flipping high into the air, a hand raised as a golden ball of her concentrated aura formed. Her strength suddenly spiked right before she shot her fist at the prone girl, blasting a massive cone of golden flame at her. The second it hit the ground, a massive **BANG** echoed through the room, all of us covering our eyes. When we opened them, Yang was sailing through the air before she landed perfectly on the arena floor.

 **(Music End)**

People started to slowly clap and cheer for Yang, myself included. 'She's much gotten stronger and faster within such a short period of time. I'm highly impressed, to say the least,' I though before i looked at the Aura-Display, and was surprised. Yang, despite having taken all those hits was at a very respectable 79%, but Kagome... she was at an astounding 92%. 'Their Auric defense is incredible for first-years...' I thought before I looked back to the fight.

The guard was floating in front of Kagome, a hand held out with a sphere of black aura engulfing the last of the flame. Kagome was now wary of Yang, though her and her bodyguard relaxed slightly. "Interesting... your aura control has been heightened by training with Raiden. How does such power feel? Quite astounding, is it not? Even for a low-class fighter such as yourself, you must find it quite intoxicating." Yang didn't respond, slipping into her stance before flicking away some of her blood with her thumb.

"That's it Yang, keep a clear mind and a cool head!" Raiden called over. Her eyes flicked to him, and she couldn't hide the smile on her face. Seeing that, Kagome's face turned into a snarl for a brief moment before she calmed down, smirking. "By the way, Yang Xiao Long, you had a bit of dust in your hair. I decided to remove it for you." She held out a closed hand and opened it. Everyone went dead silent in fear as out dropped a bit of dust... and several strands of Yang's hair. '...By the Gods, no.'

 **Yang**

I stared at the lock of hair that she pulled out, watching it slowly float to the ground before landing so softly, but I could hear it perfectly. Everyone was silent, but all I could hear was blood rushing through my veins, my head pounding and adrenaline blasting through my body. "How..." I muttered, my stance loose as I stared at her. Kagome seemed confused, and I realized why in the back of my mind. 'She was trying to show off her speed...' I thought before my face twisted into something that I hoped have her nightmares. " **HOW DARE YOU!? HRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!** "

When I screamed, my aura blasted off of my body, bathing the room in a golden light, the stone beneath me cracking from my newfound power output. I looked at her again, please to see she was shocked. 'Still, this isn't going to be enough to beat her. I need to go all out!' I took my scarf in my hands and ripped it off, throwing it to the side before doing the same to my brown jacket, leaving me in my yellow T-shirt.

I widened my stance, my clenched fists at my sides as I pulled all of my aura in, power violently crackling within me and on the surface of my skin. Raiden instantly knew what I was about to do and yelled, "Yang, don't do it! I'm begging you, stop!"

" **HRAAAAAAAAAAA!** " I screamed again, as I sped up the natural pulse of my aura. Aura runs through every living thing like a heartbeat, and the stronger the person, the more powerful the beat. The Arte Raiden taught me within a surprisingly short amount of time, no thanks to my own control over my aura, forcibly sped up a person's beat.

As my own sped up, my skin started to turn a slight pinkish hue, steam rising off of my body. Pain started to shoot through me, but I ignored it. My muscles tensed and began to grow very slightly, but too quickly, a loud _**CRK-CRRK-CRRRRK**_ sound echoing through the room. I realized that it was the sounds of my bones creaking under the strain, yet I didn't care.

There was a loud **_HMMMMM_ ** sound in the air, my aura actually humming like an engine about to explode, my body shaking and almost vibrating before my golden aura suddenly turned blood-red with a **WHOOM** sound, a blast of wind emanating from me. " **SECRET ARTE: RED KING BURST!** "

 **(Cue music: DBZ ost 5, Kyofun no Ginyu Tokusentai)**

I leaped right at Kagome, drawing my fist back as I sailed at her through the air. At least, it was less of a 'sail' and more of a 'rocket', my own speed surprising me. She barely raised her hands to block before I swung my fist right into her cheek.

I couldn't get over how powerful that first punch was; her head whipped back so fast, and her body followed soon after, the ground underneath her feet shattering with a _**BANG**_. The first punch made every single other punch, even with Ember Celica on made it look like I was fooling around. The first punch... it set my _soul_ on fire.

As soon as my foot hit the ground, I sprinted at her, twice as fast as I normally would have done, leaping up and landing a flying-knee to her ribs, her armor cracking from the blow. I grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the ground, raising another fist again. 'Finish it!' My soul roared at me, and I obliged, bringing my fist down with all my might. It never landed.

Kagome's eyes were full of fighting-spirit, a snarl on her face as she quickly summoned her Stand and knocked my hand out of the way, throwing me off balance before delivering a vicious kick to the back of my head. I didn't feel it. I grabbed Kagome's foot and threw her across the floor before I leaped to my feet, running right at her again. She did the same before disappearing again. 'I can read her movements!' I thought as I saw a black blur race towards me.

I shot my foot out, catching her clean in the face, halting her. " **Auric Arte: Red King Assault!** " I shouted as I poured my aura into my fists and legs, uppercutting her in the chin with all my might, sending her flying into the air. I dashed behind her before leaping up and drop-kicking her in the spine. Focusing all my aura into my feet after a tight backflip, I blasted off the air itself, using it like a platform to leap at her again and hit her with a massive roundhouse kick to the face, sending her crashing into the ground. I kicked off the air again, and just as she was getting up, I shot my fist into her jaw.

Still she fought back, kicking me in the face while her Stand did the same to my stomach, my body flying through the air. She warped right in front of me, her and her Stand's fists raised high. "Impudent bitch, don't think you've won!" She hissed as a ball of black aura forming int their hands. "Aura Arte, Black Flash!" She shouted they slammed their open palms on my stomach, my own body crashing into the floor this time.

I tried to roll out of the way but she landed right on top of me, fists (hers and her Stand's) drawn back. I put my arms up in front of my face as a guard just in time to stop her punch, but I didn't feel the power of her Stand's. Quickly peaking, I saw that its eyes went white, staring at me... I dunno, almost respectfully. She noticed it too, glaring at it, it's eyes turning black again before it threw it's fist at me.

That was all the opening I needed, bucking her off of me and rolling out of the way, getting up in a kneeling position before, leaping away from another ground-shattering kick, countering with a swift hook to her Stand's head. "Smile for the barrel, you-!" I shouted, pointing my fist at her face and getting ready to shoot Ember Celica into her... oh. I took a second to realize that it slipped off a while ago right before she grabbed my face and punched me in the ear, my head ringing as I stumbled around slightly.

"This is the end! Mystic Arte: SOUL STEAL!" She roared, her voice sounding tinny in my ears. He and her stand had that black ball of aura in their right hands respectively, slamming it into my stomach. I felt my aura being violently pulled from me, my reserves draining way too fast. " **Fine, if that's how you want to play, MYSTIC ARTE!** " I roared right back, focusing all of my power into my fist, cocking it back and relishing in her shocked face. " **SUNSET SMASH!** " I screamed, my fist rocketing into her face, exploding with a giant **BANG**.

 **(Music end)**

I stood proudly as I watched her crash into the ground, just as Professor Ciaran yelled, "Match over!" Kagome stumbled to her feet, a burn-mark on the side of her face. "Winner, Kagome Kuroken!" I nodded to myself, expecting as much. I looked at the display and grinned as I saw her at 62%, while I was... "Oh shit," I muttered. I was at 3% and still dropping. I quickly breathed in before breathing out slowly, my Aura Beat returning to normal, the red glow fading.

"Excellent fight from both of you. Please return to your seats." I smirked at Kagome scowled at me before she leaped with ease to her seat. I turned around, and landed flat on my face, my body exploding in raw agony. My stomach roiled before I throw up at least a pint of steaming blood, my sight going red as I practically had a seizure on the arena floor.

I barely heard people calling out my name in worry, feeling someone pick me up gently and hurrying off somewhere, their aura healing me and slightly taking the edge off the pain. I tried to mouth a thank-you, but my eyes rolled up into my head and I finally blacked out.

 **Ruby**

"Yang! Yang, please wake up!" I shouted as I ran by Raiden, who was carrying her in his arms, panic and fear on his face. Blood was still dripping from her mouth and nose. "C'mon... stay with me," he murmured, pouring his aura into her. Her breathing slowly got deeper and less erratic. "She's lost way too much blood, and her hearts going wild! If we don't give her a blood-transfusion, she may die if her aura doesn't kick in!" Claire said to Raiden as she checked her quickly.

Minutes later, we burst into the infirmary, Raiden kicking the door so hard, they ripped off their hinges. "We need a blood-transfusion and a full body-scan, now!" He roared, many nurses jumping in shock before taking one look at Yang and leaping into action. "Anyone here willing to donate blood?" One nurse asked us, and Raiden shot his hand up. "Just go with it, I'm O-negative!" He said quickly, following Yang into the ER. The rest of us (Weiss, Blake, Claire and I) stood right by the viewing-window, all of us worried.

Raiden hopped onto a chair as they gave him a needle to put in his arm. He shrugged them off and quickly stabbed in into a vein, like he's done this hundreds of times before. 'You know, he probably has,' I thought sadly. "I'm not sure if she'll make it in time, she's lost way too much blood and her aura's completely drained," One doctor said bluntly. "Don't worry about that," Raiden cut him off. "Just make sure that her needle's placed in right."

After a tense few moments, the doctor nodded to Raiden, who squeezed his arm, muttering something we couldn't hear as his aura started to manifest in his right arm. His eyes shot open, pulsing intensely as glowing blood raced through the tube and into Yang's arm, the glow going from orange to gold. Yang's breathing stopped for a for a while, my heart dropping before her eyes shot open, pulsing red.

I took a quick glance at her aura-bar on my scroll and my eyes went wide as I saw how fast it was refilling. "10%... 29%... 43%...!" I counted it off, and in a matter of moments, she reached one hundred percent, right before she fell asleep again, this time looking way more comfortable than before, smiling slightly. Raiden on the other hand looked very literally drained, his face a bit gaunt and his breathing heavier.

"Just gimme a sec," he wheezed painfully, the sound grating on our ears. He still had a lot of aura left, up to 72% left, but I was worried about what he'd do to himself. He breathed in deeply, placing his hand over his heart before his hands began to glow again, along with his chest. In a couple of minutes, he was back to normal, his aura now at 31%. "How..." The doctor said, astounded by both feats which we all saw before he shook himself back into business. "Right, no matter the case, I want both of them placed in room No.365, and they're to have their rest there for a full day. Let's move it people!" He said briskly.

Raiden got up, about to protest until he stumbled, latching on to the wall for support. "Exactly. Replacing all of that lost blood in a handful of minutes has its drawback young man, so you will rest for a full twenty-four hours, regardless of what you think. Understood?" Rai smiled and nodded a bit weakly, being gently guided onto one of the movable hospital beds.

We tried to follow them until a nurse stopped us. "I'm sorry, you will not be able to see them for the next hour. We need to ensure that their health is alright before anyone can see them, and that means at most sixty minutes of check-ups, understand?" I hesitated for a second before Weiss laid a supportive hand on my shoulder. "Y-yeah, alright." She smiled at me and went off to Raiden and Yang.

"Have no fear Ruby Rose," Claire reassured me. "Raiden- _san_ is very adept when it comes to healing others and himself They will be fine within the day, ready for the tournament no doubt." I nodded idly, still worried for them. "...I hope so."

 **Raven Branwen, The Red Death**

I flinched a bit and I looked back behind me, my hand going to the hilt of my sword. "Something wrong ma'am?" My Lieutenant asked me, his hand reaching for his own battleaxe. I stared into the distance for a while, one grating thought in my mind. 'Yang...' I grimaced and looked down slightly. 'Stop that, get your feelings under control. You lost the right to be her mother long ago, so get over yourself,' I thought harshly. "I heard something," I said blankly. It wasn't a lie, really.

"What do you think it was?" He asked, hefting his weapon on his shoulder. I stayed silent and hoped that something would happen. Thankfully, a lone Beowolf launched through the foliage at me, black drool dripping from its jaws. I relaxed and flashed my sword out, beheading it in an instant. "Never-mind, just a lowly Beowolf," I said to him. We continued to walk along, back to our encampment. 'Yang, whatever you are doing... please stay safe.'

* * *

 **A.N: And that's that for this chapter! And yes, Stands are now a thing. Don't expect G-W.A.T to be the only Stand you'll see in this story though. That, and the Red King Arte... well, I think its fairly obvious where I got the idea from, and if you don't get it, it's basically the Kaioken from DBZ. Granted, there's more to it than just that... anyway, see y'all later!**


	11. The strength of Demigods

**(A.N: Alright, and we're back to the story. Finally, I seem to be getting somewhere, thank God for that. Thank you to those who left the Follow and Favs, they're _much_ appreciated. Anyway, the story arcs will mainly follow the events that happen within RWBY, granted with a few changes. Right, that's enough talking, back to... well, the story!)**

* * *

 **Into the Dark**

 **Chapter 11**

 **The strength of the Demigods**

 **Yang**

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes, my head foggy and my everything sore. "That's the second time this month," I muttered to myself, sitting up and rubbing my aching arms. I looked around to my left, right next to an open window in a white, clean room. 'Infirmary...? Oh right, the Red King Arte. Man, that wrecked me.'

"That was arguably the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do Yang," I voice said to my right, my head snapping over to Raiden. He was hooked up to one of those body-scanners, while I just had a morphine drip attached to my arm. It took me a second to realize what he said, and I got a bit angry. "Huh? Why do you say that?" I asked. "Yang, do you realize you almost killed yourself trying to do that!?" His voice started to rise. "So what, you were the one who taught me the Arte in the first place!" I argued back. My head started to hurt from my sudden shouting, but it was a good kind of pain that brought me back to Remnant. "Yes, and I told you that it was too dangerous to use like that that this stage! Fuck, I hadn't even fully taught you it at that point, how did you even manage to use it to that extent?" He growled.

"All you did was tell me Aura had a pulse, the Arte increased it, and I just... tried it. With all those tips you gave me, I learnt it really quickly, what did you expect?" I shot back. He huffed and rubbed his forehead. "No matter the case Yang, you almost fucking killed yourself! Why, just because you lost some hair? _Really!?_ " His voice bit into me with heavy sarcasm and scorn, one that made me flinch before I fired back, shouting at him, "BECAUSE I WANTED TO LET HER KNOW _NOT TO MESS WITH MY FRIENDS!_ " He paused at that, making me calm down a bit.

"Raiden, I consider you to be a great friend, and a great teacher. Stuff like that as a Huntsman shouldn't be taken for granted, and I owe it to you. Besides," I gave him a small grin, "You enjoyed seeing me beat the crap outta your ex, didn't you?" He shook his head for a second before slightly smiling. "Alright, fair enough. Sorry for snapping at you."

"Don't worry about it, it's fine," I said to him, all my anger gone now. "...One question though..." I started.

"Shoot away," He said.

"I'm pretty sure that I threw up a lot of blood. How am I alright?" He paused again, being silent for a bit. "I... gave you my blood." I raised my eyebrows. 'Gave me his blood? That could only mean I lost a good amount of it,' I thought. "How much did I loose?" He paused again, and I got agitated. "Tell me, how much did I loose?" He sighed and crossed his arms. "About five pints." I looked at him in shock, wondering how he was still alive. "Five damn pints, how are you still alive!? Hell, how am I still alive? No offense." He smiled again. "I have my ways." I shook my head in disbelief, shocked at how this guy could even survive giving that much blood to me without dying. 'What kind of stuff did you go through during your banishment...?' I thought, staring at him. "Right, now that that's over with," Raiden started again, "I think we'll start getting into some _real_ training sooner rather than later, with the Vytal Festival coming up..." He trailed off as he stared at me, a look of confusion on his face.

"Yang... are you doing that on purpose?" He asked.

"Doing what?"

"Your eyes are red and your hair's glowing... oh shit!" He muttered. Slightly panicked, I looked at my hair. It really was glowing, and it was getting brighter , I felt something bubble up in my chest, and it wasn't my lunch (thankfully). It was raw, raging power. "Wh-wha-!?" I started at flamed began to billow off of me, my aura rising and blowing the blanket off the bed and searing it. "M-my semblance-!?" I started before my voice failed me. I clenched my fists and tried to control it, only for even more to come forth. "Yang, it's not just your semblance!" He said to me. "I don't know how, but your power is rising naturally, that's _your own_ power, not your semblance's!"

I stared at my hands in awe, amazed at how strong I became in a matter of seconds. It took a second for me to figure out why I got so strong, not that I really minded. "I think... I think it's because I took so much damage, I gained more power permanently." I saw Raiden's look of understanding and I slowly looked towards the window. "Raiden, what floor are we on?"

"Oh, the twenty-fifth, why... Yang, don't you dare!" He shouted, panic in his voice again. I burst into laughter, holding my hands up in surrender. "Relax, relax, I'm not going to jump out of a building because of some new discovery I made. Please, I'm blonde but not stupid." He sighed in relief before glaring at me, making me laugh again. "Anyway," He stressed with a roll of his eyes, "That being said, I'm no longer going to pull my punches all that much in training as much anymore, especially now that I know you can hold onto some of the gained power permanently. You think you're ready for it?" I smirked and replied with a touch of heat, "You _damn well know_ I'm ready." I pounded my knuckles together for emphasis, and it ended up being a mistake, raw soreness pulsing through my arms and shoulders, said arms and shoulders falling limp along with the rest of my body as I groaned. Raiden laughed at that, smiling at me. "Yeah, I think I'll let you rest up for a few more hours," he said to me.

"Thank you... so much," I groaned.

"Heh, don't mention it."

 **Claire**

"Wow, you can actually do that?" Ruby asked me, her eyes sparkling with awe. I would've found it cuter had the topic not been so gory and graphic. "Indeed. It is possible to manipulate an opponent's pressure-points with aura, and that's simply all I did, and it produces a more violent reaction." Said reaction was the arms of the Grimm imploding within itself before exploding outward in a shower of black miasma. Not the tastiest thing to go down my throat in all honesty. "Wow, you guys must've trained a lot during your... banishment." Her voice dipped low at that, like she was scared to say it. Once again, I put a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly at the young, promising girl.

"Don't worry about saying that. It is what it is, after all. Oh, and to answer your question, yes, we did train a lot."I raised a glowing hand and picked up a random plastic cup which was on the ground, throwing it up in the air and activating my semblance, stopping time around it, causing it to float in the air.

"All four of us managed to learn things which we didn't think was possible before our Banishment. We honed our skills, our strength, our teamwork and our semblances to what we think right now can provide an even match to even the most experienced of Huntsmen and Huntresses. My 'Time-Breaker' before was a very unreliable, fickle thing to use. Now... I can freely control time within any space which I can see or sense. Kikoken has nearly mastered the use of her own powers, to a point where I think she is on par with Professor Goodwitch herself."

Ruby looked absolutely star-struck, smiling excitedly. "What about Oro and Rai?" My own smile faded a bit, turning a bit sad. "They've come the furthest, though I'd say that Raiden- _san_ is in the lead. His aura-control makes the rest of ours look like child's-play, granted, he had to learn such control." Ruby raised a brow and asked, "What do you mean by that?" Again, my mind drifted back to the days of being part of the strongest team in Haven, when people both respected who I was and who we were.

"Raiden- _san_ , as I've said and you've seen, has an incredible level of control with his aura. That's because he never had a semblance six months before now." I let that sink in for a while, Ruby's eyes going wide again. "Wait... you mean that... he became the strongest in Haven without a semblance!? That's crazy!" She shouted. "Quite crazy indeed," I replied. "I assume since you've been watching Raiden's training with Yang, you've learned a few things?"

She nodded enthusiastically, raising her own hand. Suddenly, rose-petals began to dance through the air around her arm, and I felt her concentrate not just her aura, but also her semblance into the limb. "That's... incredible, to say the least!" I said to the young girl. She constantly reminded me why she was moved up two years ahead of her time. "I know right? I'm still kinda experimenting with it though, but it's really cool. I think Weiss and Blake also learned some things from him, they just haven't shown it yet."

I nodded as we walked right up to the room which Yang and Raiden was being kept in, my hand going for the door. "Claire, hold up!" Oro shouted from down the hall, running towards me, dressed in his usual open white jacket, no shirt, light blue jeans and yellow sneakers. I stared at his bulky chest, licking my lips slightly as I discreetly ogled my man. "Eyes up here hon," Oro said with a grin as he slowed down, making my face heat up. 'Right, maybe not too subtly.'

"Sup Rose," He waved to Ruby. "Imma guess you're here to see yer sis?" She paused a bit before saying, "Well, yeah, but I also want to make sure that Raiden's alright too. He did give her a lot of his blood." We both looked at the girl in surprise, her voice and face sincere. "Yer gonna grow up to be a good person, and a great Huntress, you know that?" Oro said to her with a smile, giving her a thumbs up. The girl's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she grinned. We walked in, and I felt something was off. I could feel out a person's strength due to their aura, and Yang felt like she had suddenly gotten noticeably stronger in under a day. "Hey Yang, hi Raiden!" Ruby said as soon as we walked in.

"Hey Rubes," Yang groaned, her body clearly filled with soreness.

"Hello Ruby," Raiden greeted her with a wave. "Are you two alright?" I asked them, more-so directing the question to Yang. "I hurt. All over. Hurts to talk," She groaned to me. I smiled, my extra-ears twitching as I heard something approach. Something feral, aggressive. Raiden's smile faded and he unfolded his arms, swinging his legs out of the bed and trying to stand up before his he stumbled. Oro quickly caught him and let him sit down on the bed. "Rest for a bit, alright? We'll deal with this," He said reassuringly. "Huh? What's going on?" Ruby asked, clueless.

Even Yang seemed to be able to sense the presence, though it was faint and fleeting to her. We were all silent for a while before the presence suddenly spiked, to the point where even Ruby felt it. "Ruby, get back-!" Yang shouted before the curtained window to the side burst open, Drei Greyhound leaping in, a look of sadistic glee on his face, his infamous Battleaxe drawn.

"Hey-hey-hey, _who's gonna die today_!?" He cackled, pivoting with crazy speed and swinging his Battleaxe right at Yang's exposed neck.

 **CLANG**. That was the sound of Oro drawing Light's Edge and intercepting the strike. "Yer fight's with me!" He growled and grabbed Drei by the neck, throwing both himself and Drei out of the window. "Oro!" I shouted, popping my head out of the window just in time to see them hit the ground feet first, still swinging their weapons at each other. The outcome was clear though; Both of them were equal in power, but in raw speed, Drei took the cake and dominated Oro, landing several heavy blows on his body and neck.

Drei cackled and swung his weapon in a massive sweeping motion, Oro bodily leaping out of the way as his blade sheared through a tree like wet paper. I leaped out and silently plunged through the air, flipping head-over-heels before shooting my leg out in an ax-kick aimed for Drei's skull. His senses as a Faunus however were extreme; he pivoted again and blocked the blow with his grey gauntlet-clad arm, another **CLANG** echoing through Beacon's Saturday morning. "Hey there Claire, good to see you still kicking," he said gleefully to me before I flipped away, landing in a fighting-stance.

I grimaced as I realized I didn't have Aqua and Marine (my two punch-daggers) with me. Oro quickly stood by my side, his own stance up and his guard focused. "What do you want Drei?" I called over, tension high in my legs, arms and core. "Hey, all Lady Kagome said was to leave a nice scar on Xiao Long. Recovery is a Luxury, not a Requirement, remember?" Oro snarled, and I honestly wanted to do the same, but I kept myself in check.

"You _do_ realize that we can go to Headmaster Ozpin about this, correct?" He laughed again, waggling his finger at us. "Wrong! Both Ozpin and Lionheart gave us special Sanctuary during our stay, so anything less of killing is basically allowed. Besides..." He looked directly at me, his wolfish grin growing wider. "I know what your last name is. Imma assume that basically nobody outside your team knows?"

I felt all the blood drain from my face and the mask that kept my emotions in check crack. "...Y-you wouldn't," I stuttered. Oro growled and took a step forward, still trying to restrain himself. "Don't you _DARE_!" He bellowed, his scimitar glowing brighter. "Oh, but I can. As a matter of fact, why don't I-!" We all paused as was heard someone drop from the sky, screaming in a high-pitched voice. 'Ruby?' I thought, confused as I saw the young girl race through the air, her scythe held high. Drei sighed and lazily stepped a few feet away from where Ruby was about to land. "Oh shoot, watch out Ru-!" Oro started, moving to catch the younger girl before she suddenly burst into rose-petals as soon as she hit the ground, shooting right at the wolf-Faunus.

Drei's eyes widened as she materialized right in front of him, swinging her massive weapon through the air and aiming for his head. He barely moved forward just in time to dodge the blade, but the shaft of the scythe caught him in the temple with a painful **TOK** , sending him skidding back violently. He managed to stay on his feet, clutching the side of his face. "Leave my sister and my friends alone!" She said loudly, pointing the barrel of the sniper-rife component at him. He had a disgusted grimace on his face, like he just dropped a piece of toast jelly-side down. 'Gods, that's nasty,' I thought absently.

'Also, tank the Gods for this little girl,' I thought with a slight smile before I began to panic. "Ruby, stay away from him, he's far more powerful than you think!" I shouted just as Drei leaped at her, his form blurring and his speed matching, hell, far _exceeding_ Ruby's own. Still, the young girl was unfazed, her face a look of concentration as he swung wildly at her ribs before she seemed to... well, almost reappear behind him, the area she was originally in empty minus the handful of rose-petals that floated off the floor where her feet were. 'Did she just...?' I thought, awed at the girl as she did it again, disappearing out of the way of Drei's sharp back-kick to the head. 'She did. She's channeling her aura and semblance into her legs and feet, raising her speed and agility up immensely. A fast learner, it seems.'

Drei noticed it as well, his eyes narrowing as she went for another swing. His power suddenly spiked, and I knew exactly what that meant. Without hesitation, I stopped time within a twenty-meter radius before dashing forward. I ran out of concentration to hold stop the time just as I knocked Ruby out of the way, time resuming its flow once again. I grit my teeth as I saw his grey, fur-covered fist plow through the air fight before it caught me in the face, my vision splashing into white, my ears ringing. I felt a jarring impact on my back and head, but it felt numb. Slowly, the white faded into black, and I thought in the back of my mind, '...I forgot to do the laundry.'

 **Drei**

Honestly, I was pretty annoyed for Claire using that bullshit semblance of hers. 'Time-Breaker?' That's some serious hacking-type bullshit right there. 'Well, 'least I got her out of the fight,' I thought as I saw her bounce off the floor, unconscious. "YOU BASTARD!" Oro bellowed, that steamy yellow aura of his shooting off of him like... well, steam shooting out of a rice-cooker. Mm. Rice. Rice and chicken. 'Yeah, I'll have some of that for lunch. Drizzled in some _niiiiice_ gravy.' I wiped off a bit of drool and focused back on the fight, Oro having turned back into that really impractical form of his, that Half-Beast mode or whatever. I quickly slipped out of the way of his ground-breaking swing, nailing him in the jaw with a whirling kick to the jaw.

I smirked as he stumbled back, his pure yellow eyes glaring hatefully at me. "You're still too slow!" I taunted, bouncing on my feet with my fur-covered fists raised... hold up, fur-covered? 'Ah shoot, I used it,' I scolded myself, my body returning back to normal. 'Man, I need to stop doing that,' I thought, annoyed at myself. I tended to use my semblance whenever I felt like I was in I pinch, and seeing as that rose-girl was nearly as fast as I was. Speaking of her, she zoomed right at me, her form seeming to disintegrate into rose petals as she dashed around another swing of Mountcleaver. 'Okay then, let's step up the speed a bit more,' I said to myself as I ran right in front of her, her body becoming solid as I matched her speed. She was so caught off guard, her silvery eyes widened and she made one big mistake; she crossed her feet.

She tripped up, beginning to fall onto her face, and I took my chance as I swung up at her neck, the Lightning-Dust in the blade of my Axe activating, a streak of sparks left behind my swing. "You're fast, but not fast enough little girl!" I laughed gleefully. Suddenly, a giant figure blurred right in front of me, grabbing me by the neck and slamming me down, pain rocking through my head as I looked up. "Prof. Ornstein?" Ruby asked a few meters away from me. I realized what happened soon after. He actually moved so fast, I couldn't see him until he slowed down right in front of me. The Professor had his hand around my throat, his crimson hair tied up in a surprisingly manly ponytail, cascading down one shoulder. He was wearing what looked like workout clothing, a baggy red shirt with black joggers and red sneakers.

"Do not **_ever,_** " he started, his voice sending a surprising shock through me. "Mess with the students while I'm around." I smirked and gabbed his wrist, actively using my semblance and pulling his hand away from my neck. "Sorry Teach, but I can do whatever the hell I want. Sanctuary, remember?" To my shock, he began to overpower me, forcing his hand back onto my neck with ease. "Yes. I am aware. However, it's also within the rules for a Professor to accept the challenge of a student, especially if they show resistance." He golden irises seemed to glint as he said, "And you have just resisted me." I felt in the back of my mind that I may have made a slight screw-up as I shot to my feet, back-flipping away from him. 'Alright, he's fast, he's strong, and he's probably got experience over me, but he's predictable,' I though as I landed, looking at... where he was.

"You will have to be far faster than than to think you can evenly match me in combat, young fool," He said right behind me. My eyes wide, I pivoted again and swung at his head, only for the tall man to move in and deck me in the face with an audible **_POW_** , my body flying backwards. I leaped to my feet again, only to find myself unable to move properly. "W-What the fuck?" I muttered, my body twitching painfully as I fell on my back. I tried to raise my hand, only for what felt like lightning to shoot through it... scratch that, it was actual lightning that was coursing through me, sparking on my gauntlet and grey shirt. "Y-you hit me with lightning? Damn teach..." I coughed up a small black cloud of smoke. "I'm impressed." I wasn't joking either, Professor Ornstein knew how to throw down effectively, and I respected that.

He glared at me, muttering, "There's a reason I was called Captain," before holding out a hand, a literal bolt of lightning shooting from my chest and into his palm, the tingling sensation leaving my body. "Go back to your team." He said simply before moving back to a now conscious Claire, ensuring her safety along with Oro and that Rose girl. I slowly got to my feet, dusting myself off and turning back to the dorms, ignoring the stares of the other early-morning students. My mind was blank before I thought, 'Oh, Lady Kagome's not gonna be happy about this.'

 **Ornstein**

"Are you able to walk upright?" I asked the Faunus girl, concerned for her. She had a rapidly forming bruise on her cheek, and it was slowly getting darker. "I am... fine," She said unsteadily as she stood up, stumbling as soon as she was on her feet. Oro was quick to catch her, sweeping the rather short girl off of her feet and into his arms, and I couldn't stop the smirk on my face as her cheeks turned a dark hue of red. "Ensure that she is safe, take her to the infirmary," I ordered him. He nodded without hesitation, jogging into the building. "Hey, is everything alright!?" Yang called from above, leaning heavily on the window seal.

"Everything is alright Xiao Long!" I called up to her. Ruby waved at her, "Professor Ornstein took care of the guy, so you don't need to worry about it!" Yang had a pained grin on her face, like smiling hurt. For her, it probably did. "Thanks dude! Rubes, are you alright?" She called again. The red-clad girl proceeded to give her a thumbs up. Again, I couldn't help but grin to myself and put my hands in my pockets. "Well, now that that's been taken care of, I'll be off on my morning run. Have a good sixth-day, Miss Rose," I said to kind little girl. She looked at me strangely before asking, "Sixth-day?" I slapped my forehead lightly, chiding myself that I was not from this time, and that they most likely wouldn't understand me. "Forgive me, when I say 'Sixth-day', I just meant what you call Saturday."

"Oh, well have a good day to you too, Mr. Ornstein!" Her innocent, closed-eye smile was one of the most adorable things I've ever seen in my life, to the point where I wanted to squeeze her cheeks, much like that old granny always did to me back in Anor Londo. 'Huh, does that mean she found me to be cute?' I thought in the back of my mind as I waved to the girl and ran off, deciding to take another lap around the Academy. My idle thoughts drifted to that newer Transfer-Team from that other Hunter-Academy to the east. 'They could be a serious problem... scratch that, they are, as it is. Especially with their leader, that girl, having some connection to the Abyss. Hell, the darkness is so strong within her, she might as well be none other than _His_ direct offspring!' I dashed past another bundle of students, the wind from the wake of my running blowing the hair from their faces. "Indeed, this is something that needs to be brought to Headmaster Ozpin, no doubt!" I muttered.

Just then as I ran around another corner right to where I was about to finish, I ran into Ciaran, who also appeared to be finished from a run, wearing a pair of dark purple tights, black sneakers, and . "Ah, hello there little sister!" I greeted her, much to her annoyance. She proceeded to punch me in between my legs in surprise, and hard, might I mention. Thank goodness for aura.

"Why, hello there you big ass..." She started before looking at me closely. "You've drained a bit of aura from using your semblance, and recently. Why?" She asked instantly, crossing her arms. "Oh, I just had a run-in with one of those Transferred brats, the one from team DARK. They challenged me to a fight, and I accepted. I won." It wasn't a lie, rather a truth by the rules. Ciaran took a long, blank look at me before relaxing slightly. "You beat the challenger, I assume?" I nodded. "One lightning-enhanced punch was all it took," I responded with a smirk... it faded quickly though as I remember the power beginning to erupt from the boy as I grabbed his neck, his arm turning grey and furry.

"However..." I started, Ciaran's head snapping back to face me. "I feel as if nearly the entire team will be a problem, minus that Lizard-Faunus boy. The boy I defeated, had I not taken his seriously... he could've injured me, badly." For the first time in my life, I witnessed Ciaran become worried and slightly fearful. The look on her normally calm and collected face sent a spark of protective nature through me, and I put a hand on her shoulder, putting on a grin. "On the other hand, I could just be paranoid. We'll be able to take them if we tried." She sighed and nodded, relaxing once again. "Well, I assume that you're done your morning jog, same as I," She said, stretching her arms above her head, revealing her stomach... which had a number of red marks, like bites. Bite marks. On her stomach. Oh Gods.

She caught me staring and turned cherry-red in the face, pulling her shirt down hurriedly. I stared at her before I put on my signature winning grin. "Shut thy mouth," She muttered, embarrassed to hell. "But sister, I haven't said anything yet," I said innocently. She turned redder, crossing her arms and turning away from me slightly. "W-well, wipe that damn smile off your face!" She said a bit louder. I obliged, replacing it with an even bigger smile. "Artorias gave you those marks, did he not?" I asked cheekily, my hands on my hips. She managed to turn another shade redder, facing away from me fully. "If you don't shut up, I will punch you again," She said, further embarrassed. I had to close my mouth to restrain myself from laughing in all honesty. "That _does_ explain how every time I try and I to sleep, I always hear what I think, correct me if I'm wrong, are very loud shouts and screams."

She then snapped and punched me in the face, knocking me flat on my ass as I burst into a storm of laughter. "Shut up, shut up, _shut UP!_ " she shouted as she continued to kick me weakly while I continued to laugh at her. I delighted in the fact that I was the only person who could annoy Ciaran to this measure, and ever since her... ahem, joining with Artorias, it only gave me even more ammunition to use against her.

Eventually, was wheezing for air, still trying to stop myself from laughing while Ciaran gave up on kicking me, her hands covering her red face. "Um, I feel as if I've missed out on a joke regarding Ciaran and myself," A new voice said. I rolled over to the side and saw Artorias walking towards us, wearing baggy black pants, a sweat-soaked dark-blue shirt, and a pair of white running-shoes. "Yes he did," Ciaran, said, glaring at me, "And I punched him for it." Artorias dropped a black bag he was carrying and walked right to Ciaran.

The poor girl clammed up as he leaned in, his face close to hers before he kissed, deeply might I add, sweeping her into his arms. They went at it long enough to make it fairly uncomfortable, only made further awkward when I remembered hearing the sounds which kept me up all night. Gods, those two went _at it_! I managed... around four to five hours of sleep, at most. Suddenly, my Scroll vibrated and I whipped it out of my pocket, checking a message from the Headmaster Ozpin. 'Please gather Artorias and Ciaran, General Ironwood has arrived to personally see you three,' it read. I stuffed it back into my pocket and turned back to the couple (whom were about to do less and appropriate things.)

"Right then you two, get showered and dressed into something smart-looking. That Atlesian General will be here to see us later today," I said, snapping them out of their... coupling. "He's arrived, then?" Artorias asked, and I gave him a wry look. "No Artorias, he's actually several miles away sipping from a thermos filled with- _of course he's here, that's why I said to get ready_ , now chop-chop!" I said, clapping my hands. They leaped into action, small grins on their faces. 'Well, good to know things are back to normal,' I thought before I looked behind my back, sensing something.

It was that girl leader, Kagome, her hands in the pockets of a long skirt as she stared directly at me, her face blank. I felt the Abyss, hell her raw power pouring from her as she stared me down. I heard Artorias and Ciaran step to my sides, having noticed the girl, glaring at her. I glanced at them, a spark of determination in my heart. All three of us let some of our power loose, lightning, abyss, and shadows flaring around our skin. 'You want to try and brow-beat us? Fine. Give it your best shot.'

The girl seemed surprised at first before smirking slightly, shaking her head and turning away. Artorias gave a tense, nervous look before saying, "She'll become a problem, won't she?" I watched she she sashayed off, trails of Abyss left behind her on the ground and in the air. "Yes. She will... and I fear how."

* * *

 **A.N: Ooh, ominous! So, from this point in time, there's roughly two and-a-half weeks until the Vytal Tournament, which is when shit starts to hit the fan. Hopefully. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter and sorry for taking a bit longer than usual. Don't be afraid to leave a review, Fav or Follow of you like what you've been seeing. Bye!**


	12. The threat and the False Promise

**(A.N: Welcome back, thank you guys for all the attention and support this story's been getting! Either way, enjoy the new chapter, and I don't own anything minus the OC's. Oh, and say hello to the new intro!)**

* * *

 **Into the Dark**

 **Chapter 12**

 **The threat on the horizon and the false promise**

* * *

 **Yang**

I bounced lightly on my feet, flexing my arms and fingers for a bit to make sure that the pain and soreness was completely gone. "Well, thank God for aura, huh?" I sighed, slipping on my jacket, my scarf and the Ember Celica twins, all of which Ruby got back for me. I looked out the window, still surprised to see that I fell back asleep until midday after that Wolf-Faunus attacked us. Not to mention, Raiden was also gone by the time I woke up again. I took my scroll out and checked it, surprised to see a message from Raiden.

 _'Meet me by the Cliffs.'_

I raised a brow at the weird request, but for some reason, I got the feeling that there was more to it than a simple chat. I slipped the scroll back into my pocket before walking out of the room, ready to face whatever was coming for me. After checking out with the nurse at the desk, I walked out of the infirmary, breathing in the clean air of the coming Fall. It was great in Beacon, there wasn't a doubt in my mind about that, especially with new, awesome people like Raiden and the new 'Professors' from where or whenever, but there was this barely noticeable tension in the air. People did show it but some must've felt it too, like something was coming. 'Ugh, cut that out, it's a sunny day and you're meeting up with Raiden, cheer up!' I said to myself, snapping out of that weird funk I was in. The people I passed looked at me with this sense of both awe and fear... to be honest, I kind of liked it. 'Let them know your power when they least expect it, and they'll at least be on guard,' Raiden once said, and he was right.

I continued to walk with my head high, a proud smirk on my face as some people actually got out of my way for me. Eventually, I reached the cliff by the giant lake, a slight blast of wind hitting my face and refreshing me. While the sight was nice, I couldn't help but notice that something was missing. "Raiden? Hellooooo?" I called out. Silence met me, and I started to get suspicious. "Raiden, are you there?" I called out again, more than a bit disturbed by the silence. 'Shit, is this a trap?' I thought in the back of my mind, unfurling Ember Celica and raising my aura, feeling out my surroundings to see if anyone was hiding.

'After what that Drei guy did, I wouldn't be shocked if one of the other members came after me,' I thought as I slowly began to back away, my fists up in a guard until suddenly...

"Give me everything you've got, Yang Xiao Long!" A voice roared from the cliffs, startling me. A shirtless (mm, he looked _good_ ) Raiden flew from up the cliff-side and went right for me, his own weapons transforming into its active state, and I had to admit, I was impressed. They weren't just gauntlets, they were like full-on pieces of armor, covering his hands, wrists, arms and parts of his shoulder with a dull, gunmetal-grey gleam, the metal itself looking like the segmented armor of an android's metallic plates. Across the top of his wrists and on his shoulders, there were what looked like exhaust openings, similar to what you'd find on the end of a missile, but way smaller. Finally, symmetrically dotted on parts of his weapon, were pulsing orange dust-crystals, glowing the same color of his aura.

"Raiden, wha-!?" I started before he straight-up socked me in the jaw. My vision went white for a second before I regained consciousness, leaping off the floor and getting to my feet. Raiden was already in front of me, crouched down low with his fist clenched. 'Oh shit, dodge!' I leaned backward, my arms protecting my face in case he decided to follow up, and I was right in thinking that, his foot cutting through the air in a sharp kick to the head, crashing into my gauntlets with a loud **CLANG,** my body skidding backwards and my arms rattling.

"Raiden, what the hell are you doing!?" I shouted as he stood up, fists raised aggressively. "You're all better, right?" He asked, and I nodded, confused. "Well, real training begins now, cause I'm coming at you!" He roared, his aura suddenly flaring up wildly, his eyes going pure orange. I mean, literally pure orange, pupils, whites, and irises all sunset orange. 'His power... even if I'm at full throttle, I can't even match up with him!' I thought as he raced at me, almost faster than I could see. "Wrath Arte: Wrath-filled Strike!" He shouted, parts of his weapon glowing orange before the exhausts shot pure orange aura out of them. 'Holy shit, a rocket-punch? That's so cool!' I thought just before his fist hurtled towards my face. I poured all of my aura into my joints and legs, leaping backwards and barely dodging the attack, his knuckles slamming into the ground. Instantly, the dirt exploded, shrouding him in dust before I heard a loud CRACK, the _entire fucking cliff-side_ collapsing and falling into the lake.

I kept my guard up, still feeling Raiden's violent aura before he flew right at me again, another kick catching me in the cheek, pain bursting through me. Bursting... 'It could be the only chance I have if I want to match him... but it'll wreck my body all over again! Unless...' I paused for a bit, thinking quickly as I continued to dodge him. 'If I can control the Red king Arte to give me a smaller-scale burst, then it should put less stress on my body. I've got no choice, so let's go!' I channeled my aura into my fist and brought it up in front of his face. "Aura Flare!" I shouted as my aura ignited, a blinding light distracting Raiden, giving me enough time to leap away and focus my aura, rising my power to it's max and just slightly increasing the pulse of it. Suddenly, my aura turned from gold to red as my power burst around me, coursing through every part of me. I felt the stress it put on me, but it was way less than when I used it against Kagome.

" **Red King Burst!** " I roared, leaping right back at him with a barrage of wild straights and swings. Raiden was shocked at first, dodging with more effort than he normally did, occasionally blocking a few punches that were too close to home before his face broke out into a grin. "That's it Yang, come at me!" He said before he started to fight back, his fists flying and actually intercepting mine in his own rapid-fire barrage, matching me and pushing me back easily. 'Agh, I-I'm being overwhelmed!' I thought as his fists started to make contact with my face and stomach; he hit hard, really hard. The fact hat he was still faster than I was didn't really help me either, but I kept my assault up, searching for a weakness in his defense that was his wall of fists. 'My arms are getting worn out... I-Agh, I can't keep this up for much longer. I need to go for a finishing blow!' I set my teeth and put everything I had into the next attack.

" **Mystic Arte: Sunset Red...!** " I shouted, my blood-red aura flaring up just a bit higher, my control over it loosened and my power climbing even higher. " ** _OVERDRIVE!_** " Suddenly, like the bullets from an Atlesian Minigun, my fists blasted forward in this rain of blows that caught Raiden off-guard, my fists blowing his away and ramming into his body. Even to me, it look like I grew hundreds of fists every single one of them slamming into Raiden with my full power. That's what I thought until my semblance suddenly flared to life, every bit of damage I took turning into my raw strength and plowing into Raiden's chest, sides and face. " **Time to end it; Mystic Arte, SUNSET SMASH!** " I roared as all of my power focused into my right arm before I shot it at him with all my might. 'I... I can win this!' I thought for a brief second. I was very, _very_ wrong.

Raiden's power suddenly spiked, way higher than I could've ever imagined was possible for someone his age, his markings, highlights and eyes violently glowing orange as he backhanded my wrist, ignoring the blast of Fire-Dust that ricocheted off of his arm and completely deflected my strike with ease, his entire body vanishing before I felt something similar to a train slam into my temple, my vision quickly spiraling as my body went weightless, the edges of it turning white. 'Huh,' I thought idly as my body hit the ground, my consciousness fading until it returned sharply. I saw Raiden crouching over me, a hand held out and giving me his aura with a grin.

"Round two an option?" He asked.

I smirked and nodded, getting to my feet again. "Hell yeah."

 **Ciaran**

"So, is he in the room right now?" I asked Headmaster Ozpin through my loudspeaker scroll. "Yes he is. He still believes what I am saying about you is false." The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable, and it had to have been without doubt due to the Atlesian General usurping him from the Council of Remnant. With all the respect and thankfulness I had for the Headmaster, that did not stand well for me, and the rest of us. "So in other-words headmaster..." Ornstein butt in with a grave tone, "You want us to make him believe that we exist? That will not be an issue." Artorias' chest rumbled deeply underneath his fine dark-blue suit, sending a pleasant shock down my spine. "Indeed, it will be a simple task. We are entering the elevator right now." Ozpin chuckled and I heard a voice in the background asking, "Who is that? Your so called Knights from the past?" The firm, commanding voice asked mockingly, grating on my nerves how he _dared_ to speak to Ozpin with such a tone.

We waited patiently as we traveled up the tower, my foot tapping on the floor in an effort to calm myself. It didn't help. As soon as the door dinged and opened we calmly walked out into Ozpin's green office. Instantly, I spotted the General, a shocked look on his face as we towered over him (well, Artorias and Ornstein did, I was barely taller than he was). I stormed up to him and whipped out my Gold Tracer, the blade leaving a glittering streak in the air as it flashed towards its throat. "You will speak to Headmaster Ozpin with respect, you scoundrel," I said coldly, pressing the point of the blade a bit further into his neck. "Wh-who the hell are you!?" He asked, reaching for a weapon in his white jacket with surprising speed, drawing a rather large handgun out.

Ornstein was the next to react, zooming right next to me and pinning the General's hand to the wall with blinding speed, proceeding to only glare at him. "The woman who had that dagger pinned to your jugular is none other than Lord's-Blade Ciaran. The large man to your right is Dragonslayer Ornstein, and the other man in the blue suit is Abysswalker Artorias. Do you believe me now?" He asked, bitterness in his voice again as he calmly stood up and walked up to us. "Release him," He said simply, and we did so. "I understand that you want the best for Remnant, James, but do not assume you can just overthrow me with military might and authority alone. I have cards which I've yet to play."

Ozpin calmly brushed him off before walking back to his desk and sitting down. "Anyway, the time for posturing is over. Has there been any recent breakthrough in your Aura-Manipulation Research? We will need miss Amber to be at full strength should a disaster occur during the festival." The three of us had been well informed on the topic of the Four Maidens, and how poor Miss Amber was a victim to Manus' potent Soul-steal magic. The General, still getting over his shock took a few seconds to answer. "...Unfortunately, no. However, I still don't see why you're so worried Ozpin. Atlas' finest Technology and Troops will be en-mass is the air and on the ground at all times during the festival."

Just as he said that, Glynda walked through a door to the side of Ozpin's office, a sour look on her face as she looked at Ironwood. "Honestly James, I don't understand how you can think that something as mundane as military might can keep out some of the most powerful and cunning beings Remnant has ever seen. As far as we know, it's nearly impossible for an army to beat a single Continental Grimm Alpha. Not to mention, we have to watch out for people who happen to serve Salem and her cause. Not to mention, if these three are here because of something major in the past, who's to say this works as an advantage to the enemy?" She looked over at me, giving me a kind, professional smile. "Hello Ciaran."

"Good day to you, Glynda," I replied, returning the smile.

" _Glynda_?" Ironwood stated, shocked again. I couldn't help but turn my head in sync with Glynda and smirk. "Yes James, she can call me Glynda. Because she is a friend. Unlike you." Ornstein jerked violently as he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, trying his absolute best to contain his howling laughter. Artorias ground his teeth together, is face turning red as he struggled to do the same. Ozpin had his eyebrows raised to the sky and a hand to his mouth (which was slightly quirked in a smirk), while finally Glynda and I continued to smirk at the General, relishing in his anguished face. "Ahem," Ozpin interrupted, still smiling slightly. "On the topic of a Continental Alpha, Blackspire Mountain has been giving us several light tremors in the past few months. I fear that _it_ may awaken again, and we all know that no simple army can take one such Grimm down."

This piqued my interest, along with Artorias and Ornstein. "What is it? We were never informed of this, whatever it is." Glynda sighed heavily, her eyes turning weary as if remembering something bad. "Mt. Blackspire just so happens to be the resting-place of a massive Grimm with a threat-level of 9+ all by itself. About fifteen years ago, it woke up from a long slumber due to an accidental mining incident near the island of Vytal. It flew over to the city of Vale, and an all-out battle took place to try and kill the beast between the Vale military, Atlesian military, and some of the world's strongest hunters, including Ozpin, Jonathan Arc, Rei Ryuka, and myself." Ornstein took heavy interest in the subject, asking, "What exactly does this beast look like? You said it flew, specifically."

"The creature which I speak of is non other than a Grimm Wyrm." Ornstein's eyes went wide at that. "A Grimm Wyrm?" Artorias stated, shocked as well.

"Indeed. What about it?" Ozpin asked, worry in his voice. "The fact that a Wyrm, the most powerful of Dragon descendants can be corrupted or be recreated by the Abyss is worrying, it speaks levels of how powerful Manus has truly become in the past years since we were banished here. As a matter of fact, what's the current level of Grimm attacks worldwide right now?" He asked gravely. Glynda quickly flipped her scroll out, tapping almost furiously and searching for something, a graph appearing on the screen a few seconds later. She looked at it, both surprised and confused. "The number of attacks... have been cut into a quarter of what it used to be one month before you three appeared here. That doesn't make any sense..."

"Why not?" The general asked.

"... Though the number of attacks have gone down... the Grimm population is steadily rising. Correction, they've been steadily rising..."

Ornstein was the first to answer after a period of silence, saying, "They're hiding, mustering their numbers. That's the only real explanation I can give." Ozpin looked at him, his face grave and weary. "The question is, why wold they do such a thing? The Grimm are usually not so organized." For the first time in my life, I saw a bit of fear in my brother's expression before he shakily replied, "I worry that... Remnant itself, specifically every single kingdom could face a devastating large scale attack from the Grimm. While it is true that most attacks are motivated by a large level of negative emotions, it is possible that something can either cause a large-scale rise of negative emotions or... or something big can lead them."

"Something big?" Glynda asked.

"Indeed," Artorias spoke this time. "Back during the war which we fought, we faced the same problem; a mass of Abyssal Creatures similar, if not less developed, version of today's Grimm, mainly because I was no longer able to hold back the Abyss. Within these creatures, much like with the Grimm which you all face in today's world, there are what you could call 'Alphas', each of which are commanded by a bigger Alpha and so on until it reaches the main leader. What Ornstein is suggesting is that, in the _best case_ , we could be under siege from several of the lower-ranking Grimm... or we could be facing off against none other than the father of the Abyss itself. Your aptly named 'Lord Grimm', is my arch-enemy, Manus, the one who created all of your problems.

I turned to look at Artorias as his voice got emotional, his fists clenched and his head down in shame, Ornstein noting this as well. I slipped my hand into his rough but gentle one, squeezing lightly while Ornstein did the same to his shoulder. Artorias looked at both of us, gratefulness in his eyes.

"You are not alone in this brother," Ornstein said firmly.

"Always remember that," I finished, our engagement rings clicking as they touched.

He smiled at us, squeezing my hand back. In that moment, I knew that no matter the threat, we'd face it together.

 **Raiden**

"I was right, you've grown far stronger since that boost you got from overusing the Red King Arte because of your semblance," I said to Yang as we rested under a tree, my legs crossed as I meditated passively. Yang was covered in sweat, breathing like she nearly drowned (with all that sweat, she could well have) after she gulped down nearly a gallon of water. "Seriously," She panted, swiping some of her golden hair out of her face, "How fucking strong are you!? You destroyed the cliff-side with one punch, I've only heard of shit like that being done by Pro-Hunters." I grinned at her, getting up and deactivating my gauntlets with several mechanical clicks and whirs. "I can't show you how strong I've become, but the least I can do is show you the kind of techniques you can achieve if you constantly train, and that's minus my flying technique." Yang sat up right and stared at me, curious.

I walked a few feet away from her, stooping and putting my palm on the ground, focusing my aura before breathing out sharply, a blast of aura launching me high into the air. I flipped head over heels before I tensed my legs and feet, shooting off the air like a solid platform and right at the ground. I crossed my arms in front of my face in a guard sending my aura out before letting it surround me in a sphere, protecting me from all angles as I bounced off the dirt, cartwheeling back into the air. Yang was staring at me in awe, and I delivered as I swung my foot in a roundhouse kick, a sharp blade of aura shooting from it like an arc, screaming through the air before shearing the top of the tree off cleanly.

Again I kicked off the air, this time using the ball of my feet and speeding up to the point where it looked like the the world around me stood still. I tore through the air with powerful shockwave, zooming straight for Yang. She quickly put her hands up to protect her face, and I shot my open palms forward, a blast of wind stopping me midair while blowing the hair and sweat out of Yang's face. I landed on the ground in front of her, stretching my arms behind my head. "That," I sighed, "Is a small example of what a Hunter can achieve."

I glanced at Yang and my eyebrows shot up. Her hair had turned back into its original lustrous form of golden locks without a hint of frizz. 'Huh, I was expecting it be be all messy... how does it do that?' I wondered.

"Wow..." Yang breathed, starstruck. I couldn't help but smile at that expression on the face of someone whom was normally so confident in their fighting ability and strength; it was undeniably cute. "Anyway, we've been at it for two hours, I say that's just about enough for today," I said to her, getting my shoes on before trying to find my jacket. I was confused for a second when I couldn't find it until I heard Yang whistling very idly, obviously avoiding eye-contact and trying to hide a black-and-orange lump that was clearly my jacket.

"Yang... give it back," I deadpanned.

"Oh? Give what back?"

"My Jacket."

"You have a jacket?"

I smirked, playing along. "Yes. Although... I think you probably like me better without anything to cover my chest."

She turned her head to face me, a massive grin on her face. "That's very true."

I sighed and chuckled a bit, I forgot Yang was pretty shameless when it came to a human body. "Alright, seriously hand it over."

She raised a brow and asked, "Or what?"

I sighed again and shook my head, saying, "You asked for this." I quickly pounced on her and grabbed her wrists, Yang squealing as we rolled for a bit before I pinned her down, the two of us laughing. "Looks like I win, huh?" I laughed, easing up on my grip. She scowled playfully before she sat up, handing me the jacket which I decided to sling over a shoulder. I stood up and held a hand out, the Blonde Brawler graciously accepting as I helped her up. "Now then, let's get some lunch. I'm starving," She said, patting her well-toned stomach before wiping a bit of sweat from her face. I shrugged and followed along, fixing my jacket a bit before slinging it over my shoulder again. Suddenly, my scroll started to vibrate, Yang hearing it too and stopping politely for my as I took it out. 'Kiko?' I saw the caller. 'Wonder what it could be about...' I thought, opening the call.

"Kiko, what's up?" I asked.

"Oh nothing much, I just need you to come over to our dorm for something." I tensed up at the tone of her voice, and clearly heard what she was trying to say. _Something's wrong, need help._

"Alright, I'll be a bit late though, had a bit of training to do with Yang." _I'll come as fast as I can._

"Cool, thanks." _Please hurry!_

I quickly put my scroll back into my pocket, rushing over to a surprised and confused Yang as I wrapped my arms around her. "You afraid of heights or have motion-sickness?" I asked quickly, to which she shook her head. "Then hold on tight!" I shouted as my aura burst around me before I shot into the air, racing for the dorms. Yang's hair kinda got in the way but with her screaming, "WOOOOHOOO!" It made the endeavor worth it. 'Kikoken, whatever the trouble, please stay safe!'

 **Kikoken**

"Please, just move out of the way and we won't have any trouble," I said as I put away my scroll, facing off against Kagome tensely, aching to blow her away with my semblance. "How long do I have to wait for Raiden to be here? I'm on a time-schedule here," she sighed almost seductively, a hand on her well-rounded hip as she cocked an eyebrow. I snarled a bit before I reigned in my emotions, breathing in deeply before letting it out. "I'll ask you again, what do you want with my brother? You've already destroyed his happiness the first time around, and he's slowly gaining it back through Xiao Long." I suddenly regret my words as I saw a giant vein pop almost audibly on her forehead, her pitch-black aura spilling from her skin as her _Killer-Intent_ leaked from her. Killer Intent was something that only the strongest of people used, and I met very few people who actually used it, like Raiden, Mom, and Kagome.

'As it is right now, if I provoke her too much and she attacks, then I have no chance of winning. I need to wait until Raiden get's here,' I thought, keeping my face and stance as neutral as possible. "All I'm asking is what you want with him? You don't normally come near us with some form of good intention." She seemed to have calmed down slightly, her aura dissipating. "Fair enough. Anyway, all I want to do is to talk to him, tell him about a little something and part ways with a little... gift."

I raised a brow. "Is... is this a booty-call?"

She in turn smirked. "Oh, I _really_ wish it was," She sighed, making me cringe, "But sadly, no, it is not of that nature."

I don't know why, but I wished that it had been of that nature. If it wasn't, it was most likely to be something bad, very bad, or just outright terrible. "Right, then what is it?" I asked, getting a little bit heated. This time, her smirk got wider. "Sadly, that's not something I will disclose to y-" She paused, and I knew why. Raiden was here.

Suddenly, he burst through the window in a **_CRASH_** behind her, Yang in his arms for some reason before he let her go, the two of them landing in a roll before leaping to their feet. "What the hell do you want!?" He snarled, his weapons clicking and whirring into place, as he slipped into his stance, baring his teeth at her. Yang was behind him, her own fists up. Kagome grinned and stalked forward at him, her hips swaying and displaying her fine figure. Raiden being Raiden, was too pissed off to see it. "Raiden Ryuka... I wish to have a word with you." Her words held no ill intent, and Raiden relaxed slightly. "...What do you want?" She smiled at him, a shiver running down my back as she did that. "Well, I managed to pull a few strings with a... relative... of mine, and I have a proposition for you, and you team." Now I was interested in this. "You see, if you manage to win the upcoming tournament... you can come back into Haven."

Raiden instantly froze of the spot. "What?" He hissed. She stalked forward towards him, a coy smile on her face. "You heard me correctly. If you win, you get to go back to Haven Academy, with Professor Lionheart's permission. Your past wrongs will be erased from your permanent records. You can be the Strongest of Haven once more, people will bow to you again, and once you graduate, you can then take up your father's name. How does that sound? Think about it darling, all of Mistral, of Haven itself will welcome you once more with open arms. You and I... we can become so much more than petty rivals when we are together." She asked, holding a hand out. We looked at Raiden's, and all of us were shocked. His face was twisted with rage and malice, and even a hint of small tears in forming in the corners of his eyes. "How... dare you!?" He roared, his eyes glowing violently. "You think you can just tempt me into coming back there, just for the sake of a title!?"

A wave of Raiden's own killer intent washed over us, his raging will nearly rendering me unconscious. "You want me to go back to that place where I was so easily shunned by that damn coward Lionheart? _You want to get me back there as your puppet again, just so people will bow to you!? **WAS THAT THE BEST YOU COULD DO!?**_ " He screamed in her face, his aura rising and bathing the hall in a sunset glow. "It's people like you... you are the reason why **_I bow to no body_**!" With a sharp snap, his right gauntlet activated again. " _ **Nor will I be bowed to!**_ " His left gauntlet covered said arm. " **But above all else... I'll _never_ forgive you... for making me and my team suffer for your own gain! Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!** " He roared, the walls of the building shaking. For a brief second, I swore that he looked exactly like father did; face filled with rage, his eye blazing with fury and his hands flexed like claws.

'Raiden... your burden isn't something you can handle alone.'

* * *

 **(A.N: Hey guys to all of those people who are currently Following the story, I want to thank you guy's so much, but I have to apologize for the irregular update schedule. It might be like that for a while, but I assure you that this'll clear up eventually. Either way, thank you guys so much for spurring me on. Peace out!)**


	13. Gravity Hurts A lot

**(A.N: And welcome back to the story guys. Just remember, I don't own RWBY and any other things which I use which clearly are not mine. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Into the Dark**

 **Chapter 13**

 **Gravity is a B*tch, huh?**

 **The mightiest of Mistral, Rei Ryuka!**

* * *

 **Raiden**

"Focus on channeling your aura into your toes, not just your legs!" Claire said to Ruby as she zipped around the place, occasionally front or back-flipping tightly into the air before bursting into rose-petals again. "Your sister's a fast learner," I commented as I rested beside Yang, who was also watching as Ruby decided to train with us. The little girl had gotten really serious when she realized her team could be a target of Kagome. "You're right on the spot," Yang breathed, drinking from a bottle of water. She had a change of outfit too, switching to more casual clothes rather than her combat outfit, wearing her brown jacket, a black tank-top with her symbol on her right breast, ripped jean-shorts, Ember Celica and her boots resting beside her.

'Huh, she looks pretty good in that. She should get a cowboy hat to top it off,' I thought. Ruby had taken the same route, wearing a red hoodie, black shorts and dark sneakers with red soles foregoing her cape entirely, which was a rarity. I could clearly sense her movements using my aura and everything except my eyes, feeling the rather rigid motion of her movements. "Ruby, stop for a second!" I shouted, getting up and walking towards the two. Ruby landed smoothly on the ground, bits of her hair matted to her sweaty face. "Right, you've got the speed-part down, but you're being too... stiff," I said to her. "Stiff?" She inquired. I took my shoes off and wiggled my toes a bit. "The reason why Claire's telling you to loose your toes instead of your legs it because like that, your movements are less linear. You can manipulate where you want to go in a variety of manners without wasting energy or momentum. It also makes you less predictable when you move rather than going in a straight line."

"Where do you learn all of this stuff? The combat books I buy don't have anything on this!" Ruby exclaimed cutely.

I fished around for a bit in my pocket and pulled out a small, plain brown book, handing it to her . On the cover, it had the words, 'The Secrets of Combat, by J. Braxton.' Ruby's eyes bugged out as she saw the author, suddenly holding the book very preciously. "You," She breathed, "You own of of the three rare copies of this book, made by the Red King himself!?" Yang sat upright at that, curious. "You said 'Red King', are you talking about the same guy who created the Red King Arte?" I simply nodded.

Ruby on the other hand was flicking through the book excitedly, a manic grin on her face. "They say that nobody can copy this book, be it by hand or electronically, because this ink is made from his own blood and aura! There's so many secrets here lost from the Great War and even times long before that... look, there's even stuff here about your new technique Yang!" The red-themed girl said excitedly, pointing to a certain page. Yang got up and looked at the page over her shoulder. "Whoa... you can do that with the Arte?" She asked before suddenly looking closely. "Why is this page torn?" She asked, pointing towards a line of tape. I grinned and scratched my head, a bit embarrassed. "I-ah... might've taken that page out when I was younger. Remember when I said that I never had a semblance? I forcibly learned the Arte so help me ascend to the top."

"Wait, so you know that, and you have your Semblance? Why don't you just use both at the same time, that would be super OP!" Ruby stated. To her surprise, I shook my head. "No can do little red. Here' why..." I stepped back from her and clenched my fists, the beat of my aura increasing immensely before I shouted, "Secret Arte: Red King Burst!" My aura burst around me like a blood-red flame, my muscles growing noticeably. "Yang would already know this, but using this already puts a great stress on your body." I breathed out slowly, the red glow dying down as I returned to normal. "However, my semblance allows me to use my anger and turn it into strength. At first, it was hard to use, until I learned how to channel it and release it in a powerful burst of my own."

Again I breathed out, closing my eyes and widening my stance, my clenched fists at my sides. I focused on everything that made my wrath billow up, what Kagome did, what it cost me, what it cost my team. The ground beneath my feet began to crack, small pebbles rising into the air and my Potara Earrings jingling a bit. When I felt it reach its peak, I shot my eyes open and roared, " **WRATH ARTE: _WRATH BURST!_** " My aura practically exploded around me, blowing Ruby and Yang away and bathing the area in a sunset. Claire stood behind me, her arms crossed and her face passive while her teal ears twitched a bit. The sisters looked at me in awe, especially Yang, who could now sense my power, even if I was still suppressing the majority of it. " **This is the result of several months of... training in the wild,** " I said, a slight snarl in my voice as I decided _not_ to say how I actually learned it. " **My power's been increased roughly three-times over like this... but if I were to use this with the Red King Burst... I could end up severely harming myself.** "

Again, I breathed out and relaxed, my power fading as I stood upright. "Indeed, this is why I prefer to use my own 'Wrath Burst' alone. Besides, I've found a few ways to increase its effectiveness while mostly staying out of the range of stress induced by the Red King Arte." Yang raised a brow as she got up, dusting herself off. "What do you mean, _mostly_?" I smirked and waggled a finger at her. "Ah-ah-ah, that is for me to know, and for you to find out one day." I felt a slight shiver run through the air, and I recognized it as Oro's Aura flaring out of control. I quickly turned to Claire, and she nodded, having felt it too. Yang seemed to sense it as well, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Oro's fighting someone right now."

 **Oro**

"C'mon, is that the best you have?" Fenrir laughed as he dodged another swipe of my sword. I growled inwardly as I tried to kick his feet from under him, but as per usual, he was too damn fast. 'If only I could hit him!' I thought as I swung my fist to my left, the Wolf-Faunus cartwheeling over it and slamming the flat of his blade into my temple, my head now ringing slightly. "Really, all that 'training' after you got kicked out, and for what? You still can't hit me!" I grimaced as he landed another swipe of his battleaxe on my ribs, and with no armor aside from aura to speak of, that shit hurt. 'I'll want to use it, the form I learned during Banishment... no!' I shook my head vigorously, gritting my teeth and leaping away from another quick swipe, ignoring the flare of pain from the scar underneath my left eye. 'I can beat him without it... I _will_ beat him without it!' With the crowd around us in possible danger, I didn't really have too much of a choice either.

"Don't think I haven't been training for this!" I shouted. Before he rushed me again, I slammed a hand into the ground, a small last of aura propelling me into the air. Confused, Drei looked as me before he leaped into the air with me. "Is that the best you have?" He mocked again, winding up to strike me, leaving his head and upper body exposed. Got you. "Burning Slash!" I roared as I swiped my blade across his face and body in rapid slashes, trails of light left behind the blades path. I heard a **WHACK** as the base of the blade cracked across his temple, and I was rewarded with his eyes going hazy. "Auric Arte: Burning Attack!" Rapidly moved my left hand in a blinding pattern before shooting a big ball of aura right into his face, sending him flying back down into the ground.

Taking another chance, I pointed my hand behind me, facing the ceiling before using my aura to propel myself towards the ground in a plunging attack. Still, he recovered quickly, rolling out of the way just as my blade stabbed into the ground. Just as he swung at my face, I shot my blade up, parrying it out of the way and grabbing his wrist. "Told you so!" I growled before I placed my left palm on his chest and launching another blast of aura at him, point blank. Again he was thrown back, nearly flying off of the stage with his battleaxe. The bastard was quick though, tucking his body midair and flipping onto his feet before he fell off, a snarl on his face. "Don't think you can beat me with a few simple little moves!" He growled before he disappeared again, moving faster than I could see.

"Shit," I muttered, holding my blade defensively. 'Right, remember what Raiden taught me, feel him out with your other senses, not just sight," I thought, my eyes flitting across the empty arena, my ears drowning out the cheers of the audience. I felt his aura buzz around me, moving in a blinding pattern before it disappeared again, trying to bait an attack or opening from me. 'Come on, stop beating around the bush and come at me!' I said to myself. Suddenly, he appeared in front of me, his fist sailing for my neck. I grit my teeth and thrust my blade forward, slashing through his leather armor and nailing him in the chest, a single knuckle barely brushing my jugular. I started to smirk as Drei went sailing back again, before pain erupted through me.

I collapsed on the floor, clutching my neck. 'An... Aura-Point strike?' I thought as I struggled to get up. Drei sauntered over to me, wiping a bit of blood away from the corner of his mouth. "Neat little trick, huh?" He said with that annoying-ass grin of his. "Kinda copied it from your girlfriend, with that weird martial art her older bro taught her." I painfully raised a brow, still struggling. "Y-you.. managed to master that? Damn, color me jealous!" I spat sarcastically, but I was real worried. 'Shit, he wasn't kidding when he said he had extreme _Observation_ ,' I cursed to myself before he brought his fist down on my face, hard. And again. And a- alright, I think you get the point, he was basically kicking a dead horse... or, monkey. Half monkey. 'Since when did I get that morbid? Geez, I need something tasty... like a banana. Or Claire... yeah, Claire sounds nice right about now.' I thought with a grin before I realized I was still getting punched and kicked in the face.

"Cheap... bastard!" I muttered, spitting some blood from my mouth. "Hey, if it's a win, then it's a win," He laughed. "Still though, it's taking a while, you've got pretty tough aura." I looked at the screen and saw my bar at 81% and still dropping very slowly. 'Well shit, here I am about to shame my entire team, all because I couldn't turn down a public challenge,' I thought sadly, trying to get up again only for more pain to rocket through me. "Get the hell off of my teammate!" A female voice roared. I looked to the side and saw Kiko, wearing a simple purple t-shirt and jeans, literally fly into the arena, her fist surrounded in a violet sphere of her semblance as she punched him off of me, launching me gently out of the arena. "Oro, sit out for this one, this is something you can't handle!" She shouted. I gave her a tired thumbs-up, letting her work her magic. 'Oh, he's so screwed,' I laughed on the inside.

"The hell is your problem, Drei!?" Kiko shouted angrily, her left eye glowing violet as her aura rose around her, shrouding her like a light fog. The wolf sneered at her, all cheeriness gone from his expression. "My problem? Screw yourself over Kiko, he's my rival to fight, and it ain't against the rules!" Kiko stomped over to him, each step leaving a clear imprint in the tough stone. "Don't give me that, you know that using fatal Aura-Point Attacks _are_ against the rules! You're taking this too far, and if you go any further, you can bet your ass that I'll be coming for you!" Drei scoffed, crossing his arms over his damaged chestplate and glaring at her, his semblance slowly activating and changing him, his eyes going bloodshot, his body growing larger, the hair on his arms and head growing thicker, and his fingernails turning into black claws. " **I don't give two shits about the rules, so bring it on!** "

 **(Cue Music: DBS OST: Limit Break X Survivor, Extended Version)**

He said in that sudden violent voice before he raised a hand. "Kiko, dodge!" I roared just as he went to swipe at her face. Her hand suddenly shot out, catching Drei by the wrist. "Fun fact: My semblance let's me control gravity, right? I might look pretty weak, but my Gravity-Control along with my aura can push my body far beyond it's natural limit. Bring it on, Drei!" She pulled him close and in a flash of violent, buried her fist into his gut before leaping up and clocking him in the face, his body jerking to the side violently. He ground his teeth and swiped upward, his claws glinting in the light. An invisible force pushed her out of harm's way before she landed smoothly on her feet, springing back up and roundhouse-kicking him right in the snout.

" **Right then, how about _this!?_** " He snarled, clenching his fists as his grey smoky aura rose from him, his body expanding massively, his muscles growing and his skin turning grey while his mouth elongated into an actual wolf-snout and face, a ragged tail bursting from the back of his pants. His feet ripped through his boots, turning into the hind legs/paws of a real canine. He towered over everyone in the room, having grown at least up to fifteen feet tall, yet his pants and shirt didn't truly break or tear. 'Need to find out what that stuff's made out of...'

" **I can't believe I need to use this against you!** " He roared before slashing through the air with his gigantic claws, blades of aura screaming through the air at her. She leaped over them with ease, flying right at him with a glowing fist and pounding it into his jaw. He went with the blow, swinging another massive fist at her. She held a hand out, wincing as she blocked it before deflecting it and firing a ball of aura at his chest, pushing him back. She quickly dropped out of the air as he delivered a blistering kick at her, right before attempting to axe-kick her in the head. She cartwheeled out of the way, leaping backwards into the air with a burst of her semblance and aura.

Drei followed her with insane speed for something of his size, launching another blistering punch at her. She intentionally fell limp, rolling across his arm before springing up again and slamming a chop into his collarbone, the giant werewolf buckling from the force of the blow. Then he grinned. **"Gotcha!** " He cackled his hand quickly shooting up and grabbing her like a toy, slamming her into the ground. "KIKO!" I shouted, uselessly stretching a hand out. She leaped out of the crater, a violet sphere of aura surrounding her and protecting her. "You are seriously gonna have to try harder than that!" She sneered, suddenly shooting into the air and uppercutting him in the jaw, his eyes rolling into his head.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!" She launched several shots of her aura into the air surrounding the stunned Drei, a single open hand raised above her head. "Black Hole Barrage!" She closed her hand into a fist, one of the spheres turning a dark purple before slamming into Drei, dissipating before the next one followed from a different angle, and the next one, and the next one, until it was a massive barrage constantly hitting him. As soon as it stopped, Drei swiped a hand across, blowing away the majority of the dust and smoke kicked up from the amazing attack. Parts of his fur looked like they were burns or damaged in patches, his gunmetal grey and crimson red eyes filled with rage... until he looked at Kiko.

The entire time, she had been charging an attack I've only ever seen her do a handful of times, her left side facing Drei, her knees bent and her hands in that strange positioning: her right-hand palm facing the back of her left hand, elbows bent and her hands by her chest. (A.N: Oh yeah, you know what it is) "Come get some! **MYSTIC ARTE!** " She roared, the violet dome still surrounding her, but now with light purple streaks of bio-electricity racing across it and in between her hands. **"GRAVITY GUN...!"** Drei's eyes went wide, and he quickly brought his massive forearms up in front of his face, raising his aura in hopes of defending himself.

" **FIRE!** "

 **(Music End)**

A beam of her aura was seen a a super-quick second before it rammed into Drei's guard in a blinding **_BOOM_** , everyone in the stands, me included, shielding our eyes for a while. When some of the dust cleared, Drei stepped out of it, now back in his human form. His armor and shirt were a mess, his messy hair even messier and one arm looking like it was put on the wrong way. He snarled again as he grabbed it and set it back with a loud _POP,_ everyone in the crowd flinching. "Tch... being big and strong is something that you can easily deal with, huh?" Drei spat, rolling his arm without any problem. Kiko smirked again, saying, "Unless you're my brother, yes, it's something I can deal with."

Drei nodded with a weird calmness, considering something. "Cool, cool. So... now I beat you, I guess." Kiko raised a brow. "What makes you saw that?" She asked darkly, raising her fists. Drei grinned evilly at her, raising his own in a super-tight, pro-boxing stance that would make even Yang jealous. "Stamina's always been something that you lacked in. That... and you're already worn out from that first attack."

 **(Que Music: Hajime No Ippo: Black and Blue)**

I widened my eyes along with my violet-tipped partner. Taking a closer look at her, I saw that he was right. She didn't even know that she was silently heaving for air, sweat matting bits of her hair to her face. I got up as best I could, taking a quick look at their aura. Kiko, 64%, and Drei, 60%. "Fight smarter, not harder Kiko!" I shouted, remembering some of Raiden's advice grabbing her attention. "Don't waste your energy being aggressive, bide some time, dodge, counter and watch his moves!" She nodded with a slight smirk, making me panic as she walked right into him. "NO KIKO, MOVE BACK OR YOU'RE GONNA GET-!" I was cut off when Drei slid forward too quickly, his fist plowing through her guard in a vicious Straight-Right to her cheek with a loud _POW_.

Her eyes rolled into her head for a second before they snapped back into focus, her body throwing a slightly wild hook to his head. He blocked it with a wince before nailing her in the jaw with a hook of his own, following up with an uppercut to her stomach and finishing the devastating combo with a razor-sharp jab to the face. She stumbled backwards, her exhaustion quickly catching up to her, and piled with the damage, she could very well be beaten in front of half of Beacon's students. I clenched my fist and roared, "HANDS UP!" She responded quickly, her hands shooting up in a guard as she barely managed to sway away from another sharp punch. "Nice, now back up! Use your feet and don't stop... moving... oh shit," I muttered as I saw what was wrong.

She couldn't move. Her legs were trembling badly, and if she took another step she'd fall, then Drei would whale on her. "J-just guard an' counter!" I said to her. Her facial expression told me she heard me, but her eyes... they were burning with fighting spirit, literally glowing as she tightened her own guard. 'She's planning something!' I thought as Drei closed the gap again, grinning madly as he swung again for her jaw, his aura bursting from his fist. Suddenly, she shot into the air without even a bend in her knee. 'Her semblance!' Cocking a fist back, she blasted herself out of the air and right at Drei's head. 'She'll do it, she's going to take him out in one strike!' I thought excitedly. Sadly, Fate's a cruel bitch.

Drei, still finishing his swinging motion, didn't get enough time to pull back and fire another shot, so I just though he'd be hit. But, his own eyes were glowing, that grin still on his face as she rocketed down on him. So instead of drawing back, he spun on the spot, never losing momentum. Kiko saw it too; there wasn't a thing she could do except grit her teeth. His tight spin led into him crouching right before he shot up, his fit shooting up into a punch boasting some of the most destructive force behind it. The Gazelle Punch, essentially a powerful jump combined with an uppercut ripped through the air and rammed right into her face. Time seemed to slow down as blood spurt from her mouth and nose, her eyes reflexively closing the more it plowed into her face... then, it slipped.

Literally, the punch _slipped_ off of her face, the blood coating his fist most likely the reason behind it. Her eyes opened; they were still glowing, no, _burning_ with determination. "SLAM HIM OUTTA THE PARK!" I shouted, just as she roared, **"MYSTIC ARTE: GRAVITY SMASH!"**

 **(Music End)**

Her fist mirrored exactly what Drei was planning to do to her: it crashed into his own face, a purple sphere enveloping her fist again before exploding outwards and forcibly forcing him into the ground, another loud BANG echoing through the arena before people began to both cheer and boo. Drei was perfectly Knocked the Hell Out, his eyes rolled into his head and his aura completely gone. Kikoken's fist was resting perfectly on his face while she knelt, gasping for air. Her aura as a a bare minimum of 15%. 'Wow, she risked everything on that one evasive leading into her finisher...' I grinned and struggled to my feet, the pain of the Aura Point Strike fading slightly, 'That's what we do!' I laughed and held a fist up into the air, entering the arena and hobbling over to Kiko.

I put her arm around my shoulders and helped her up, glaring at Drei. Kiko gave me a tired smile before she lifted her own fist into the air. "Your mom and bro would be proud," I whispered, gaining another, wider and livelier grin from her. 'That's the face I wanna see.'

 **Kikoken**

Tired. I was exhausted, I wanted to collapse after severely overusing my power and aura... but I had my pride, I wouldn't allow my body to give out so easily, especially after what Oro said, along with the people cheering and booing at me. 'I'll... I want big bro to see me... to see how strong I've gotten!' I thought, setting my feet and raising my hand higher. 'Let Azure see how strong I've become!' I looked directly at my boyfriend, sitting in the stands and beaming at me with his thumbs up, moving to get up and check on me. I couldn't help but shy away a bit, my face heating up as my grin threatened to split my face. That was pretty much useless; he leaped down right over to me, his presence making my skin tingle pleasantly.

He did something unexpected and swept me into a hug, Oro grinning and letting go of me when he did. If my face had heat up before, it was burning now. "I want to kiss you so badly right now," He breathed into my ear. "Just saying, you look really hot when you fight." My entire body was basically red now, and I tried to play it off as being angry. "S-so you only want to kiss me because I look attractive to you?" I scowled. _Shit, I stuttered_. He only smiled and said, "That too." He laid a deep kiss on my lips after that, and I wanted to die of giddiness and embarrassment, not to mention, he was slowly feeding me his aura, a pleasant electric tingle running through me. "Kiko, Oro, are you guys alright!?" I voice shouted. I (sadly) pulled away from the kiss, watching as Raiden burst into the room with Claire, Yang and Ruby hot on his heels.

He ran up to us, looking first at Azure with a grateful smile. "Thanks man, I'll take her from here if you don't mind." Azure blushed a bit, nodding before laying another quick peck on me before easing me into my brother's arms. He picked up Drei (still unconscious) and left soon after. "Kiko, Oro, what the hell happened?" Raiden asked, his voice heavy with concern and a bit of anger, though not directed at any of us. "Well," Oro started, "Drei kinda openly challenged me, and for the pride of our team, I accepted. Things were going pretty smoothly until he basically copied on of Claire's moves, using an Aura Point Strike. Kiko saved my ass, throwing me out of the ring and stepping in my place. Because she's your sis', she got real pissed off and went all out, and eventually beat him after tiring herself out."

I breathed out a bit, grinning at Oro for the save. Raiden sighed in relief, chuckling a bit. "Well... I'm glad you two are alright. Good job on the win sis', and I know you did well too Oro. Come on, let's get out of here." We all nodded, Raiden slinging my arm around his shoulder, giving both Oro and I his aura. Yang and Ruby were next, Yang surprisingly silent before Ruby was practically all over us. "Waa, are you OK!? You both look really messed up!" I grinned at the little girl and ruffled her hair. "We've been way worse, so don't worry about us."

All of a sudden, this wave of pure power washed over us, something that everyone felt, Ruby included. It enveloped me, wrapping around me in this warm, friendly, familiar manner that I haven't felt in such a long time. Raiden knew it too, a massive smile on his face. Claire and Oro's eyes were wide, never having felt this before. "Wh... what is that?" Yang asked, awed at it's strength. Raiden looked at her, joy on his face. "You'll see."

 **Ciaran**

The strength that hit me genuinely made me think that another demigod had arrived. It seemed to suddenly tear its way across the sky like a shooting star before landing right int the courtyard. Artorias and Ornstein walked beside me, grip tight on their sword and spear. "What do you think? Friend of Foe?" He asked, his voice dead serious. I shivered a bit at the way the voice ran down my spine, biting my lip. 'Gods, even now I get hot and bothered,' I thought, irritated at myself. "I'm tempted to say foe," Ornstein said, "But it doe not feel hostile in any way. Quite the opposite, wouldn't you say sister?" I simply nodded, agreeing with him. While powerful, it didn't reek of evil or hostility, simply a warm friendliness and a strong sense of protection. "Whoever it is, they are strong. As strong as Gough when he's at full power, I'd wager."

That only made us hurry over to the courtyard, empty of people besides one... the one whom was radiating that energy. She was human, that much was obvious, but she was incredibly beautiful, though not soft by any means. Her well-angled face had a number of scars on them, one jagged one on her forehead, one tracing from her cheekbone to her jaw, yet another crossing through her lip and finally one crossing diagonally through her left eye, both of which were closed. She opened them, revealing royal blue eyes, the same color of the calm flowing aura around her. She wore a simple worn-out brown shirt that revealed much of her toned, scarred stomach and arms, while her lower-half was covered with strange, baggy pants that had a waist-cape on it's right side, the majority of it black besides being decorated with blue fire on it's edges and the cape. Fittingly enough, she wore no shoes, her feet not even touching the ground.

She took one look at us, and seemed equally surprised as I was, if not all of us. "Hmm, wasn't expecting other Deities to exist," She said quite simply, touching down gracefully. The three of us stiffened up. "How do you know?" Ornstein asked, his commanding voice sending sparks flying through the air. The woman ignored them, hands in her pockets rather casually as she walked right towards us. "It's your aura. So ancient and powerful... I've only ever seen two others like that. You'd be an expert if you managed to suppress that much aura, but that's expected of a Deity. Hmm," She was barely a foot away from us, and I noticed though I was a head taller than her, she still made me feel on guard.

She leaned in, squinting and looking closely at us, in a rather humorous fashion. "Well, it's nice to see we have more strong people on our side! The name's Rei Ryuka, and it's a pleasure to meet you guys," She concluded jovially, holding a hand out to me. I slowly stuck my own out, shaking her hand. 'H-her grip is-!' I though before she drew back quickly, a worried look on her face. "Oh, sorry about that!" She apologized, a slight shock running through me as the pain in my hand suddenly disappeared. "Should be better now," She laughed. "Anyway, you wouldn't happen to know my son or daughter, would you? I'm trying to find them."

My eyes went wide at that as the woman's last name clicked with a memory in my mind. 'The mother of the strongest boy in Beacon... is here!?'

* * *

 **(A.N: Finally, a proper fight scene with Kikoken, am I right? I wanted to save her for last, to be honest, just because I love the way she fights, and how I can turn the tables in either a good or bad way for our protagonists. On the other hand...** **it's been a looong time since I've originally come up with the concept of Raiden and Kikoken's mother, and now I proudly introduce to you, REI RYUKA-alright you get the point by now. Just to say, she's _literally_ the strongest person (not just including hunters) in all of Mistral, along with the continent too, and you'll see just how far a human can go in terms of power through her.  
As for the other _Deities_... well, I've left a few clues who _one_ of them might be, if it isn't fairly obvious to some already, though that should give you a pointer to who others might exist. On a final note, yes, the 'Red King' is none other than Jack Braxton from NeoNazo356's own awesome work  Giantslayer, but this is just a homage and I have no intentions to rip off the character. Anyway, y'all have a good day, night or evening, and thanks for reading. Tengatsu out!**


	14. The Tournament approaches!

**(A.N: Hello once more people, and sorry for the wait. Again, thanks for the support that this story's been getting! RWBY is owned by Roosterteeth and Monty Oum (RIP). Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **-[Into the Dark]-**

 **-[Chapter 14]-**

 **A chat between Professors**

 **A spar before the real fight Begins!**

* * *

 **Monday, the Day after Oro and Claire's fight...**

 **Rei Ryuka**

I grinned as my daughter and son practically jumped into my arms after getting out of the infirmary. "Mom!" They both shouted, childlike grins on their faces. "It's good to see you two doing so well without me," I laughed, kissing them both on their foreheads. Raiden hugged me extra hard, burying his face in my shoulder. "I... I missed you a lot mom," He croaked slightly. It still hurt that I wasn't able to do anything to help him and his team when the were being expelled. I hugged him back, stroking the scar on his neck soothingly as I whispered, "I'm here now... I'm sorry that for father and I wasn't there to help you and your sister, but right now, while I am here, I will do everything in my power to aid you." Kikoken wiped her tears away while Raiden let his fall, the two of them quickly reining in their emotions.

"That is better," I said with a smile. "Now, I believe I have much catching up to do with the both of you. Ah, and your teammates as well!" I exclaimed, turning over to the Puma and Monkey Faunus, both of them staring at me in awe. "I have never met you two, but my kids have told me much about you. Claire and Oro, was it? Pleasure to meet you two in person." Claire had composed herself far more quickly, shaking my hand politely while Oro still stared at me. She aimed a sideways-glare and elbowed hum int the ribs, knocking him out of that trance. "I-I, uh, hi ma'am!" He said rather loudly, bowing awkwardly. I laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

"No need to be so formal, just consider me a friend." Finally I turned to the other two , rather familiar looking girls who were next to Raiden. One was considerably short compared to me, a girl with red-tipped hair and... 'Silver eyes? Ozpin, you finally found another one, just like you said you would,' I chuckled. The other was taller and physically fitter, her aura shining gold like her wild long hair, far stronger than it should be for her age. 'Oh my, her aura is quite powerful and well controlled... wait.' I peered a bit closely at her, most likely creeping her out a bit as I crossed my arms. Just bits and pieces were there, but there was no doubt; Raiden had transferred his aura into her intimately. "Raiden," I said very slowly, turning to face my son with grin. "Have you and this girl become... intimately acquainted?" Raiden turned red, his eyes bugging out while the blonde girl grinned, her own cheeks going a bit pink.

"Wh-n-no! I just gave her my blood when she lost some, that's all that happened!" He practically shouted. I laughed and turned back to the girls, the memory finally clicking. "Now I recognize you two! You," I pointed at the girl in red, "Are Ruby Rose, Summer's daughter," I pointed now at the blonde, "Yang Xiao Long, Raven's daughter. Lords, it's been quite a long time since I have seen you two. You were just little toddlers at the time, my goodness how you've grown." Yang's eyes went wide as she shyly moved forward. "Um... hey, I'm a big fan of yours," She said, holding out a hand, "And I want to thank you for having someone like your son. He's taught me a lot, and he's a really good teacher." I raised a brow at that. "Oh? Pray tell, what has he taught you?" She glanced at him, and he nodded, giving her an encouraging thumbs up.

She walked back away from me, still facing me as she closed her eyes. I felt her power begin to rise as she took away its mental restraints, its fire-like appearance surrounding her as a slight wind emanated from her. It reached it maximum, and I was further impressed. 'Not as powerful as Raiden, but without doubt, more than she should have at her current age and grade. He's taught her well.' I was further surprised as her aura began to rise past her limit, slowly climbing higher and higher. 'Her taught her that as well, and she's able to control it to that degree so quickly? Incredible!' I thought, crossing my arms as I looked at the girl in awe. "Secret Arte: Red King Burst!" She shouted, her aura suddenly turning from a gold flame into a fierce, raging blood-red fire, the flaming image sticking close to her red-bathed form as parts of her hair also turned red. The wind from her blew the hair in my face away. Again, she sharply breathed out, the flame suddenly growing smaller and now only surrounding her right arm, her veins glowing like lava as the rest of her turned normal. A huge amount of her strength was centered into her fist. She now relaxed her body, the flame fading away entirely.

I looked at Xiao Long in shock and awe, highly impressed with both her and Raiden's ability to teach. However, "Raiden, as impressed as I am, does she not rival you? I'm fairly sure that you would want to remain on top." I heard Yang mutter cheekily, "Oh, he can be on top _whenever_ he wants." I glanced at her with a grin before looking back at my son. "To answer your question mom, not really. I finally did it; I found my semblance." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, his suppressed power skyrocketing. I could feel the Wrath emanating from him, equal to his power. "...Just like your father," I breathed, smiling at that. He stopped and relaxed, his anger fading and his power dropping back into its lower state.

"That's enough about us though," my daughter butt in, "How was the Red Desert? I heard you were caught up fighting one of those crazy-strong, unique Grimm, right? How did it go?" I sighed and scratched my head, more than a little disappointed in myself. "Well, you were right. I was facing off against it, but I couldn't beat it." Raiden seemed concerned now, hands in his pockets as we started to walk along. "Why not?" Again I sighed to myself, a bit more annoyed now. "Well, had it just been the two of us, I could have easily unleashed my full power without any consequences and most likely beat it... but at the time, several other hunters were there, along with civilians, and I didn't want to harm them."

Ruby Rose seemed confused, leaning and cocking her head to the side in in a fashion that reminded me too much of Summer. "Wait, what exactly is it?" I returned the confused look. "Have you never heard of the... eh, it isn't important," I said, biting my tongue and keeping that to myself. 'I've got to remember, the things I've seen and fought are not things which should be revealed to the public,' I smiled a bit as I pat the daughter of Summer on the hair, earning an adorably puppy-like reaction. 'Even if they _are_ the next generation of warriors.'

I felt a powerful, familiar presence behind me, Raiden turning around as well. "Oh, afternoon Headmaster." I turned and smiled, walking up to my old friend and mentor. "Oz, old man, it's been a while. Good to see you still in shape." I hugged the old geezer, grinning as he sighed. "It's good to see you too, but please don't call me old. It makes me feel far older than I really am." I laughed and backed away from him a bit, whispering, "I see you've got a Guardian on our side. Summer's daughter, right?" He nodded gravely, his eyes showing how tired he really was. "Things are staring to heat up in the world out there, though most don't notice it." I said truthfully. "Grimm attacks have been slowly on the rise, and their population looks like it's increasing, 'specially in the more remote areas of Remnant." Ozpin nodded, a simple, "I know," conveying his message.

I thought for a bit, remembering those three, powerful beings which I first saw when I came here. "Not to mention, you have Deities with us too. Who are they? They seem somewhat familiar, like I've read about them before..." Ozpin looked over to Raiden and Kiko. "If you don't mind, I'll need to borrow your mother for a bit." They both respectively bowed to him. "They remind me of a younger you," he chuckled as we walked towards his tower. "Let's hope they don't take after me isn't too much."

 **Artorias**

I leaned on the wall, tapping my finger against my arm as I waited. Ciaran stood next to me, her eyes closed as she focused on her aura, the dark-purple haze shifting around her restlessly. 'It's barely been fifteen minutes since that woman has arrived, and Ciaran's already trying to suppress her aura,' I thought as I quietly watched her. She opened her eyes, a look of annoyance on her face. "Ugh, I do not understand. How does one conceal their aura? The fact that she knows what we are worries me." Ironwood snorted, rolling his eyes. "Believe me, its what she does. She's good at reading people by their aura, not to mention, her husband is basically one of you. Just much harder to have a decent conversation with."

"Husband?" Ornstein asked, curious. "Yeah, a Deity like you, but without a single bit of politeness," he replied. Before I could ask something, the elevator dinged and in walked the same woman from before, the sunset light behind us making her look all the more powerful somehow, despite it clashing with her colors. "Ah, you guys! And Jimmie, nice to see you too," She said with a smirk towards the general. He sighed and waved a simple hello to her. "So, I'm gonna assume that you guys," She said, point to me, Ciaran and Ornstein, "Aren't really from here. Your aura is old, too old to be a Deity from this age."

Ornstein sighed and shrugged in defeat, his wild red hair bouncing on his shoulders lightly. "Seems as if we've been caught." He got up and bowed dramatically, letting a sleeping Professor Port to nearly fall off his chair before he woke up and righted himself. "I don't expect you to believe this, but we are from an ancient time long past. I am none other than Ornstein the Lion-Knight, Deity of Lightning. The woman standing in front of you is my short and annoying sister, The Assassin Ciaran," In a flash, Ciaran dashed across the room and punch him directly in the genitalia, the poor man's face curling up into an expression of agony before he fell on the floor, a small high-pitched noise escaping him mouth.

Everyone in the room cringed but despite it being unexpected, it wasn't without reason. Ciaran despised being called short by anyone (with the exception of me), mainly due to how when we were first enrolled as a team during the war against the dragons, many, many of the other knights laughed and mocked her for being short, therefore unfit to fight. Needless to say, those many men learned that saying such a thing to a highly trained assassin was an incredibly idiotic idea, and that she could find a variety of ways to make them feel intense pains of all kinds. I just found it to be cute, with me being about eight and-a-bit feet tall, though it was somewhat awkward when it came to more... _physical_ interactions with Ciaran.

"Anyway, aside from the _short_ part," Ciaran bit out as she dusted off her hands, "I am Ciaran. This is my fiance, Artorias the Abysswalker, Wolf-Knight and Deity of the sword." I bowed a bit shyly, not too used to getting called out in such a way, even if it was from Ciaran. Oobleck jumped up next, stepping over the still limp Ornstein. "Indeed, their story is quite astounding, I suggest that you have a listen to it!" Glynda sighed and gave him a wry look. "Bart, I think that we can leave that for another time. We have more pressing matters to discus."

"Glynda is right," Port chimed in rather bombastically. "Barty, as much as Rei would love to hear their tales of Heroism and Tragedy, I think we should leave that for another time." The green-haired Professor wilted and, for once, _slowly_ walked back to his seat. Rei looked at the three of us in great surprise, crossing her arms with a small grin. "Well," She spoke after a while, "It's good that we have some more powerful people on our side!" Ozpin suddenly let out a small but strangely loud, "Ahem." We all turned to look at him. "Now that introductions are complete, let's all have a seat please."

A handful of moments later, we all were seated in front of the Headmaster's desk. Even Ornstein managed to crawl into a chair beside me with brisk movement. At least as brisk as someone whom was hit very hard in the genitals a handful of seconds ago could move. "Now that we're all here, I think now we should focus on the upcoming Tournament," Ozpin spoke, his voice heavy. "I fear that during this point in time, something big will take place. We know that the Tournament is one of the biggest events in the world as we know it, and I worry that the Black Queen will play her hand during then, somehow."

Ironwood clicked his tongue, a cocky look on his face. "Ozpin, please, half of the Atlas' finest will be there to fend off anything that'll come our way." Ornstein turned to him with a raised crimson eyebrow, his gold eyes glinting. "Oh? Well, prey-tell general, when that masked assailant managed to break into the Tower, who was it who actually managed to challenge her? the fifty Atlesian guards there, right?" He stayed silent for a while, letting the General squirm. "Ah, riiight! _Every single one of them were knocked unconscious,_ so no, it wasn't them. It was the little _fifteen-year-old girl_ whom didn't even have _proper fighting-equipment_ who got the closest to stopping her." He made a scornful "Tsk," sound before finishing, "Just because the council gave you permission to be Head of Security doesn't make your weaknesses vanish. If the Silver Knights were here, we'd have everything on complete, and competent lock-down without simply using foot soldiers."

The General snorted before retorting, "Hmph, if that's the case, then they didn't do a very good job at keeping you and your kingdom safe from its destruction." All of us looked at Ironwood with wide eyes, Oobleck dropping his thermos with a loud clatter. Rule number one about Ornstein's temper: you do _not_ insult the army which he lead into battle. Every single knight back during our time had their own personality, their own likes and dislikes (especially Ledo, oh _boy_ did we have adventures with that eccentric man), but we were one big family. I looked at Ornstein, and I barely got to see the expression of pure, unbridled rage on his face, his eyes gleaming and his fists clenched, teeth bared like a lion. The air had started to smell like an oncoming lightning-storm, and I knew exactly what that meant. I gripped his shoulder and forced him to stay seated, small sparks of lightning roiling off of his black leather jacket and his arms.

"Captain Ornstein had brought up exactly the point which I want to discuss," Ozpin said, smoothly laying the situation to rest. "We cannot simply rely on military brute force and straightforward m to ensure our safety. I have gathered you all today, with the exception of some of the other Professors who are currently teaching classes to simply warn you. Be on your guard at all times, and if anything seems to be worrisome or out of place, please tell me." He clenched his fists, and I swore that his eyes had begun to glow, everyone in the room flinching. "I would prefer it if the Black Queen didn't have another victory on her side again." He calmed down, his body relaxing and the tension in the room faded. "Anyway, you are free to go."

Most of the others got up to leave, excluding myself. Ciaran and Ornstein noticed this, confused. "Artorias, something the matter?" Ciaran asked, walking up and holding my hand worriedly. I smiled and bent over, kissing her forehead. "Don't worry, just something which I feel the need to say." Ornstein leveled me with a serious look. "Brother, are you absolutely sure?" I nodded, gripping and squeezing his shoulder lightly. "It is fine. Now go, I won't be too long." The left after a bit of hesitance, they eventually left.

"Something on your mind, Abysswalker?" It was more of a statement rather than a question.

"...That team which you gave Special Sanctum to, Team DARK. The leader has the abyss in her."

Ozpin closed his eyes and hung his head, breathing out slowly before he got up and looked out of the giant window of the office. "I'm truly beginning to become weak," He said, his voice heavy. I didn't speak and simply let him go on. "In my prime, I would have easily been able to sense such a presence, but now..." He sighed and started to hunch slightly, leaning a bit heavily on his cane. Worried, a walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Headmaster, are you...?" I trailed off as I truly felt what he was feeling for a brief second. Years, _decades_ of war, conflicts, past guilt and mistakes bearing down on his soul. It made me recoil like I had put my hand on a scalding surface.

"H-Headmaster!" I exclaimed, not even sure what to say. He breathed in deeply and straightened himself, the tired man vanishing and one of them most powerful men in the world replacing that tired mirage. "Forgive me," He said in a calm, even voice before turning to face me, the strong look in his eyes returning. "As of right now, we cannot do anything to her or her team due to the Sanctum placed upon them, very well meaning that even by breaking many of the rules, they are essentially untouchable. Same goes to all of the other Teams whom will be staying here, though it is clear to them from a moral standpoint what is the right and wrong thing to do. The only time when we can intervene is if she does something as drastic as attempting to murder another person or something of the like. Until then, we wait."

"Wait? She's already sent her team to attack some of the other students, namely those who are affiliated with Raiden and his team such as Team RWBY!" I argued. "While that is true," He replied with confidence, "You underestimate them. Remember, it was Yang Xiao Long who managed to knock you out of your corrupted state for a period of time. Not to mention, you can sense how powerful Raiden can be, correct? And, he's begun to train them." Hesitating for a bit, I nodded. It was quite true, all three facts that is. "Also, consider that we now have you, your fiance, your captain, Glynda _and_ Rei to keep them in line." I chuckled at the thought, finally relenting and agreeing fully. "Headmaster, you're one of the most infuriatingly logical man I've ever come across."

He chuckled heartily, replying, "In all honesty, I try to be."

 **Yang**

"So..." I started, "How long has it been since you've seen your mom?" I asked Raiden.

"Just over a year. She wasn't able to get to us because of her Search and Destroy jobs all over the world," He replied, a smile still on his face. I kind of envied how he and his sister so easily loved their own parents, who were barely around, and here I was still seething about my own mom. "Hey, wipe that look off your face, it doesn't suit you," He said sternly. Startled, I looked back at him. "...how could you tell? I didn't really change my face," I asked. He pointed right at my eyes. "Your eyes always turn red when you're angry or frustrated about something, and though your facial expression doesn't actually change, you hang your head a bit lower and clench your teeth." I looked at him, surprised. "Where did you learn how to read people so well?"

Raiden stroked his chin for a second, dodging a ball of paper being thrown his way before catching it and returning it back to sender. "Eh, it's a bit complicated. You know how I'm teaching you how to sense a person's power and aura right?" I nodded. "Well, after my Team was expelled, we went separate ways in order to train on our own. At one point, about two weeks later, I ran into this _really_ strong three-eyed dude in the south of Anima. Taught me how to sense a person's strength and how to initially control my new semblance. That, among a few other useful techniques."

"Three-eyed? Huh, sounds familiar," I said out loud. "Oh, hey Weiss! Going over to Combat Class too?" I said as we ran into her. "Yes I am. Oh, hello Raiden," She greeted politely. "Sup, Ice Queen." She sighed and scowled a bit at that. "Why do people insist on calling me that?" I took the moment to hop in, counting off the reasons who on my fingers. "Well let's see. You're pale, you dress in light blue, you dress like a royal person, you can be a bit of a cold fish sometimes, you're from Atlas and you like to use Ice-Dust a lot." Raiden and I proceeded to high-five. "Those reasons are incredibly childish and..." She trailed off for a second before her eyes went a bit wide. "Strangely valid...?" She curled up on herself and muttered, " _I must be going crazy. There's no way I just agreed with that..._ "

Raiden gently pat Weiss on the shoulder. "There-there Weiss, everything's gonna be alright," He said in a caring voice while looking like he was holding off hysterical laughter. A minute later, we got to the Arena, and I saw Raiden's grin grow wider. In the center of the ring was Miss Goodwitch and his mother. People were still filing in, some recognizing the new addition their jaws and eyes wide open while others were a bit confused. Once most people were in, Glynda spoke up. "Ahem. Today, we have a special guest, and-" She was cut off when Rei held out a hand, stopping her. She walk, no, she _sauntered_ forward with an absolutely cocky smirk that reminded me _so much_ of Raiden on his first day here.

"How many of you think you're strong?" She asked, holding her hands out wide. Everyone was silent for a few seconds, confused. "It's just a question. How many of her think that right now, you've got what it takes to get out there in the world and start being a real Hunter?" After a moment, people started to raise their hands, some hesitantly, others confidently. To my surprise, Raiden wasn't one of them, his arms crossed as he glared at the people with their hands up. Rei hummed and nodded idly, her eyes scanning the crowd before landing on Cardin, pointing at him and his raised hand. "So, you believe you're strong then?" Cardin nodded with his own smirk.

"Excellent!" She said with a smile, before it suddenly dropped off her face, replaced with a cold, dead-serious look that made me flinch. "Get down here and prove it then." Cardin shrugged and picked his mace up, hefting it on his shoulder before walking into the arena, standing on one side of it while Miss Ryuka stood on the other. The Aura-Display popped up, though Miss Ryuka's name was replaced by **N/A**. "So, how are we doing this?" Cardin asked. "Do not hold back on me," She simply replied, standing up casually before the counter had reached '0'.

Carding charged forward the way he always did, two handing his mace and raising it high. She sighed and shook her head before all of a sudden, a wave of pure Killing Intent washed over everyone, stopping Cardin in his tracks as he froze in shock and fear. In the next moment, Miss Ryuka vanished, a massive ***** **BANG*** echoing through the air as Cardin's armor was torn to shreds, the guy curling in on himself with his eyes bugged out before he collapsed to the floor, _all_ of his aura gone. People were still trying to process what had happened as Miss Ryuka appeared on the other side of the room, a single fist smoking. "For those of you who clearly do not know who I am," She said, "I am Rei Ryuka. Some call me the Goddess of War, others say I'm the Fist that Pierces the Heavens. I don't mind the names, but that's beside the point. The point of this battle is; never underestimate your opponent. You can see where that got him," she pointed at Cardin's unconscious form with disgust before she walked off, nodding at Glynda.

After Goodwitch carried him off the arena, she said, "That note in mind, we will be doing simple sparring-matches again. Rules are mainly the same, though we're being a bit lighter today. Losses are by conceding, falling out of the ring or aura-levels below 50%. To reiterate, please take this a bit lighter than normal, remember that the Vytal-Festival is next week." Using her scroll, she picked out the first contender..."Azure Shockblood, please step forward." I looked at the Faunus with dark electric blue hair and the thick silvery boots he wore, my memory sparking as I remembered him facing off against Nora one time, doing pretty good before he forfeit. "The next combatant is... Raiden Ryuka." Raiden raised his eyebrows as everyone went dead quiet, me included. "Don't kill him, alright?" Weiss asked, grinning a bit.

"I'll try my best, Ice Queen," he shot back.

"Good luck!" I said with a thumbs up and he nodded at me, giving me that smile of his.

Then, he and Azure looked at each other with knowing grins before they went serious, testing the waters between them for a second before they both leaped clear out of the stands and landed in the arena, guards up as they continued to stare each other down. Raiden didn't spare any taunts, and for once Azure seemed on edge, his. Miss Ryuka had her arms crossed, watching with was small grin. "3...3...1...!" I tensed up in pure excitement. I knew that this was going to be a good, if not short fight.

" _ **Begin!**_ " Goodwitch shouted.

Without hesitation, Raiden went in straight for the kill, his weapons covering his fists and arms as he leaped at Azure. The Faunus whipped out a pair of very thick, heavy-looking pure-gold daggers about a foot-long each as he dodged to the side, moving insanely fast for someone as bulky as he was. Raiden's fist flew right by his face as he lashed out with his daggers, the blades ringing across the surface of Raiden's quick guard. He didn't miss a beat, his foot barely touching the ground before he swung his fists at Azure in a blinding barrage. 'There's no way he can dodge that from so close!' I thought until Azure fell limp, his body turning hazy before Raiden's fists phased right through him. 'I take that back.'

Again Raiden didn't back down, pivoting and throwing a sharp kick behind him. Azure suddenly appeared there, ducking quickly and springing backwards into the air. "Wrath Arte: Raging Blast!" Raiden shouted as his open hands shot forward and firing a concentrated beam of aura at him. Azure grinned, his entire body turning electric blue as he vanished in a flash of sparks, zipping through the air (looking like a lightning-bolt) and stopping behind Raiden, his arms tensed to stab him in the back. Raiden smirked and fell into a clean split, his hands on the floor as he tucked his legs in and shot them right into Azure's chin with a loud *CRACK*, the boy's head whipping back violently. He back-flipped away, landing on his feet and rubbing his jaw with his lizard-tail quickly.

Raiden didn't bother to wait, again charging right at him. Azure was ready this time, slapping his two daggers together to form a golden curved greatsword roughly five-feet long with a handgun attatchment, opening fire. Raiden held his palm out to the side, a small burst of aura erupting from his palm and pushing him out of the way and into the air, his leg visibly tensing in his pants before he shouted, "Wrath Arte: Raging Storm-Kick!" He swung his foot again in another vicious roundhouse kick, this time though, three giant blades of orange aura screamed through the air towards Azure. The Faunus responded by, instead of dodging like a sane person would, he squared up and flexed his arms, his skin suddenly looking shiny like metal, a slight blue as sparks danced off of his skin as he shouted, "Charged Iron Body!" Each blade slammed into him, but instead of flinging him off of the stage, they broke on his body with a loud ***CRASH-CRASH-CRASH*,** sparks flying off of his body again.

"Wow man," He laughed, un-tensing and his skin returning to normal. "I didn't think it would be possible, but you've managed to surpass even your _old self_ , and that's saying something. Though, I know you're holding back." Raiden relaxed for a bit, rolling his shoulder and cracking his neck. "Eh, while that's true, you're doing the same thing too. Besides, **warm-up's done now, right?** " He asked, shifting into another stance of his own, his knees bent, right foot forward and his arms out at his sides, fingers curled as aura began to roil off of him, his power rising. Azure raised his brows and smiled, putting away his sword, his tail curling as he widened his own stance, fists clenched and arms crossed in front of his face, the sparks zipping off of him turning into bolts of real lightning, his own power also spiking.

"Oh shit's about to go down! Do your best Raiden!" Weiss shouted rather uncharacteristically.

"You can do it Rai!" I yelled at him. Suddenly, their power shot up in tandem, blowing the hair from my face and forcing everyone to cover their eyes from the flash of orange and blue emitting from them. Raiden roared, " **Wrath Arte: WRATH BURST**!" while Azure yelled, " **Lightning Arte: Million-Volt Raijin**!"

 **(Cue Music: One Punch Man OST, The Ruler)**

I looked back at the arena as the glow died down. Raiden's spiked-up hair was almost pure orange, his aura bursting off of him as more glowing markings appeared on his face, lining his jaw and trailing from under his eyes like tear-streaks while a single orange cowlick hung in front of his face. The biggest change though, was Azure. "Wh-what the hell is that!?" I heard someone shout, and I couldn't blame them. Azure had become at least twelve feet tall, his entire body made of blue lightning, the only thing that didn't really change being his sharp green eyes. The curved greatsword now looked like a normal-sized blade. They didn't bother to exchange words, leaping at each other with weapons drawn back.

 **"WRATH ARTE: WRATH-FILLED STRIKE!"**

 **"LIGHTNING ARTE: CURSE OF THE STORM!"**

Raiden's weapon was billowing aura out of it's exhausts, rocketing his arm forward as Azure spun around with his blade in a giant arc, becoming a whirling top of electric destruction. Time seemed to slow down right as Raiden's fist slammed into Azure's face, while the Faunus' blade sliced into Raiden's ribs at the same time, a ***BOOM*** echoing through the room. They didn't back down or get blown back, staying in place and trading massive blows in the center of the arena, neither of them even bother to dodge all that much. Raiden ducked under a swing and and uppercut him in the stomach, but he took another heavy strike to the head, lightning crackling off the point of impact. He grit his teeth slightly and swung a sharp right hook into Azure's ribs, following up with a left-straight into his face.

"They're... they're both evenly matched!? This is without a doubt, the full power that Raiden's been hiding." Weiss said, her eyes glued to the thundering exchange between the two fighters. I also had my eyes glued to them, and while it was going on, I gauged them. Azure, without a doubt, was giving this everything he had, his power at it's absolute max. If I were to fight him as he were right now, and I pushed myself to my limit and above that with my semblance and a bit of the Red King Arte, I'd be able to match him. But Raiden on the other hand... even though he got hit hard every-so often, he wasn't anywhere _near_ his true limit. He was relaxed and focused, not worried and desperate.

"No," I said to Weiss. "This is... it's a bit hard to explain. Right now, Raiden hasn't even _begun_ to really break his limits yet."

"What do you mean?"

I paused for a bit, trying to come up with a way to explain it. "Think about it like this. Raiden, before he used his Wrath Burst was only at around 30%, now only bringing it up to 90% of his natural limitations, while Azure's gone past that thanks to his semblance, but he can't go any further. That, plus Raiden has even more powerful versions of that Burst up his sleeve in case things get real messy." Weiss looked at me, shocked. "So you mean to say...!"

"Raiden isn't anywhere near going all out. He's already won, in that sense," I finished for her. I took a quick check at the Aura-Display, seeing Raiden at an insane 86% while Azure was on the ropes, hanging in at 53% and still dropping with each blow. Another swing of his greatsword was ducked under, Raiden following up with a vicious hook to the jaw and a straight to the stomach. " **Time to end this! MYSTIC ARTE!** " He roared, a blast of aura blowing Azure backwards and staggering him. Again Raiden leaped at him, his fist cocked back one more time as his aura pooled into it.

" **GOD-SLAYER STRIKE!** "

 **(Music End)**

His fist damn near exploded into Azure's stomach, blasting him both out of his electrified for and out of the ring itself. slamming into the wall with an echoing ***BANG***. He stayed on the wall for a few seconds before he fell down face-first, still as a pile of bricks. His eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open, and I swore that he wasn't breathing. 'Did... did he kill him!?' I thought in a panic. Raiden stood still for a second, his power dropping as his hair turned back to normal again, only the cowlick remaining orange. He relaxed and stared at Azure for a second, sighing and putting a hand on his hip. "Dude, we get it, you know how to play dead." Azure groaned and slowly forced his body up, a hand on his gut.

"Damn... I might as well be dead!" He laughed weakly before falling to a knee. Concerned, Raiden leaped off the stage and walked up quickly to him. "Oi, you alright? C'mon man, I have you." He helped him up, Azure giving him a thankful grin. "Man, your sister's gonna kill you when she finds out," he laughed. Raiden just shrugged and fist-bumped him. "It could be worse." Before he helped him back, Goodwitch stepped up and said (kind of unnecessarily), "Winner, Raiden Ryuka." I looked at the aura-display and nearly had a heart-attack. Raiden was now at 81% from the final blow he landed, while Azure... he was at the dark-red level of 23%. "He... he did that much damage in a single blow!? Raiden is...!" Weiss choked, not even able to finish her sentence.

I was silent too. I knew Raiden was hiding a lot of his real strength, but for it to be this insane with a single punch, while he wasn't even really pushing himself! "Remember fledgling huntsmen and huntresses, the Tournament is only one week away!" Rei announced. "I will be there to personally oversee and commentate on the matches. I haven't been in touch with the newer generation of humanity's defenders against the darkness, so I'm interested to see your strength. Until then, in the words of someone you may know, stay vigilant, and in my own words...!" She pointed to the ceiling, and in that moment, a light seemed to shine onto her from above. "Believe in yourself!"

I clenched my fists, a whirlwind of thoughts swirling around in my head. 'Raiden's training, Kagome, Legends of the past turning out to be real,' I said to myself. 'This Vytal Tournament is going to be _really_ interesting.'

 **[To Be Continued]**

* * *

 **(A.N: Dear Current Supporters, I want to once again thank you for all of the support this story has been getting since it's release last year. Personally, I'm proud of myself for making it this far, not only with my own drive, but with your support as well, and I'm truly grateful. However... (yes, there is a however)... the reason why the chapters are starting to come out very delayed for you guys and gals out there is because I'm about to take my High-school Final exams before I move into pre-university courses, therefore, this story will be going on for what I estimate to be a two-month hiatus. I'm sorry, but priority is priority.**

 **On an uplifting note though, once my Finals are done... I'll be working hard to improve my writing for you guys, and I'll try to at best get a good chapter out every once a week! In the meantime while I'm 'gone' I'd like you guys to leave some reviews and really tell me how things are looking so far in the story, be it something good or something that needs work on, meaning constructive criticism is fine (P.S, sorry about some of the messed up grammar in the beginning chapters).**

 **From now on though, I bid you all a temporary farewell. Wish me luck, and you have a good day, night or evening. Tengatsu, _OUT_!**


	15. Let the Games begin!

**(A.N: GUESS WHO'S BACK BOYS!? I've returned, and now I'm back to writing once more, so without any further wait, let's get riiiiiight into the story! RWBY, Dark Souls, Tales of (Franchise), Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Abridged, Asura's Wrath, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Fate/Stay (series), Metal Gear Rising and any other series used here are all owned by their respective owners, not me.**

 **On a side note to further describe a few things, Raiden's normal hair looks like Mystic/Ultimate Gohan's hair from DBZ specifically while fighting Buu, and during any stage of his Wrath-Burst skill, his hair looks more like Teen Gohan's SSJ2 hair during the fight with Cell, just more orange with some black streaks towards the roots. Oro's 'Half-Beast form' is essentially an Ultra Super Saiyan with decreased speed, and his hair resembles Broly's hair in said state (Note that I said 'Half', this isn't half of his actual power). Finally, Kikoken's Twinblade is, to describe it as simply as possible, is a long staff like Sun's Weapon, but with broadsword-like blades attached at the ends, though it does have a secondary form.**

 **With that being said, Enjoy this EXTRA THICC chapter!)**

* * *

 **[Into The Dark]**

 **[Chapter 15]**

 **Yang's Final Lesson**

 **The Tournament kicks off with Oro's new Form!**

* * *

 **Raiden**

"So Ruby's off to visit... your stepmom, right?" I asked, treading delicately around the situation. Yang hesitated and nodded, crossing her arms and sighing, so I let her be for a bit and looked around. Her house was quite big but homely, like a small mansion combined with a log-cabin. "You have quite a nice home," I stated, looking at it with a small smile. Yang looked at the house and gave a small smile of her own, happiness returning to her face. "Yeah." I smiled and took a quick glance at her, happy with the change in her mood. 'That face really suits her,' I thought idly. "Yang, can I ask you," I started, a bit nervous as I put my hands in my pockets, looking out into the woods where Ruby was. "...how did you find my Training to be?" Yang turned to me with a surprised look, her eyebrows raised. "Rai, what do you mean by that? Sure they were tough, but they taught me so much. You introduced me to a whole new world of fighting and power which I didn't think was possible." I breathed out, relieved and happy with myself.

"Which is why I want to ask... why did you want to teach me, and eventually the rest of my team?" She asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. I paused for a bit at that. I wasn't expecting her to ask that, in all honesty, but it was a question which required an answer nonetheless. I beckoned her over and we walked around her house before I found a nice patch of grass. I sat down and motioned for her to do the same. "Yang, the reason why I wanted to train you at first was because... I've honestly never met many people with your level of determination. You remember our first fight, correct?" She nodded, smiling again. "Yeah, you beat my ass." I chuckled for a bit, somewhat agreeing with her. "I wouldn't put it like that, but yeah, while I did win, you showed me something through your semblance. You showed me that despite all the stuff you'll face and the things you _have_ faced, you were willing to move forwards," I said. "I took interest in you because you were so _unlike_ who I was, you showed me the strength of someone who was ready to keep moving forward, and I admired you for that strength. Aside from you, I that similar strength in the rest of your team as well."

Yang had a light dusting of pink on her cheeks as she smile at me. "...Wow, I can't say I was expecting that. That's the nicest thing that anyone has ever sent to me." It my my turn to raise a brow. "Even your past boyfriends?" Yang looked both startled and a bit embarrassed. "You know that I had them?" I simply nodded. "I mean, _come on_ Yang, there is no way you've gotten to be that age with _those_ looks without having a few partners. Like, _look_ at you. God, I imagine when you reach your forties you'll still look like you'd be in your late-twenties at least." I wasn't trying to compliment her, it was just the truth to me, but seeing Yang blush a bit harder and laughing while covering her face sent a pleasant thrill through me.

"Pfft, hahaha! I've never been complimented that way before," She laughed, wiping her eyes. "Though... it's really nice of you to say that, thanks. Normally I get compliments on my more physical attractions, which I don't mind all that much, but it does get tiring," She sighed, pointing to her impressive chest. At that I shrugged. "I can understand that, but you can't really blame them for admiring the 'bodacious temple' that is you," I said with another grin. Yang giggled again, a hand going to her mouth rather cutely. "You really have a good way with words, you know that? Combined with how you look, I'm kinda sad that the only girl you ever got with was with... her," She said with disgust, her eyes flashing red before she looked down and clenched her fist. I put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Hey, don't worry about her. Besides, she's mine to beat," I said with a smirk, calming her down.

"Anyway, come on," I said as I got up, holding a hand out to her. "Time for me to teach you one more thing." She clasped her hand into mine and I pulled her up. "First off though, lets go through a few things. Step one, swell your aura up." She nodded and concentrated, her power rising as a golden flame began to envelop her form, a slight wind emanating from her. "Good, good. Now, focus it into different limbs." She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, first pouring it to her right hand, then left leg, and finally her left arm. "Nice. Go for augmenting your strength now." Her aura evenly distributed through her body, focusing on her muscles before she just noticeably grew larger, her muscles increasing in size slightly. "Excellent. Go for a Flash-Step." He breathed out again, her size decreasing before she hopped lightly on her toes. Suddenly, she started to move at blinding speeds for short bursts, her form going hazy before she appeared solid six feet away from her previous 'hop'.

"Perfect, Sky-Step now!" She grinned and leaped up into the air, her aura focused into the ball of her feet before she shot them out with a loud ***TAK*** sound, leaping higher into the air. She repeated to action again and again, a constant ***TAK-TAK-TAK*** sound echoing through the air before she twisted her body, kicking off the air again and rocketing towards the ground, flipping once more right before she face-planted and landing pretty smoothly. "Nice landing," I chuckled. "Final thing. This is your choice of you want to do this though, and I won't judge you if you want to back out." She clenched her fists and said in a determined voice, "Bring it on." I nodded, breathing and saying, "Go for a full-on times-two burst." Her eyes widened a bit before she nodded again, closing her eyes and calming herself, clenching her fists. The pulse of her aura slowly rose, her power increasing. " **Secret Arte...** " She said, her voice calm but full of power. " **Red King Burst!** "

Her golden aura turned into a crimson flame, surrounding her body and bursting off of her, dust picking up and blowing away. Her face wasn't contorted in anger or severe stress, instead it was calm and focused. I laughed and shot my fist into the air in joy. "You did it Yang! You can control it without major stress on yourself!" Yang grinned at me before relaxing, the red flame dying down to a thin film around her until it died out entirely. "Now, I have to warn you that you should stick to going only two-times over your normal limit. Going too far over will cause your aura to explode within yourself before your body will fall apart due to the stress of having a level of aura it shouldn't even contain, understand?" Her eyes widened for a second before she nodded seriously. "Perfect. Now, there's one more thing which I want to teach you, and for people like you and me, especially with the way we fight. I want to teach you how to really control your emotions in combat."

"How's that gonna work?" She asked curiously, a hand on her hip. "I mean, I get a bit of a boost from getting mad, but aside from that, it's nothing like _you_ when you're in a fight." I sighed and closed my eyes, praying for mercy from any Deity out there for what I was about to do next. Quickly flash-stepping at Yang, I shot my fist out and yanked on something, startling Yang as I ended up a few meters behind her. She turned around quickly, confused before I held out what I had grabbed... the main contents being several strands of her golden hair. 'Why do I do this to myself?'

 **Yang**

As soon as I saw my hair in his hands, I nearly lost it, my vision going red and my mouth forming a snarl. Raiden had a very apologetic look on his face for a brief second before he dropped it, his face turning serious and his eyes suddenly glowing. "Yang, I'll warn you right now," He spoke, his voice making me hesitate from leaping at him and punching him in the face. "If you come at me like that, you _will_ find yourself squashed underfoot like an ant." At that, I growled and shouted, "Don't take me lightly after what you did!" I lost myself in my anger and wound my fist back, ready to pound his face in. "Auric Arte: Sunlight Yellow, _Overdrive_!" I roared, firing a barrage of punches at his upper body like a storm. Instead of hitting him like last time, all he did was narrow his eyes and weave around every single punch. What pissed me off at the time was how easy he made it look, sometimes only moving his neck to dodge a strike.

Suddenly, all the air was blasted out of my lungs, forcing me to a knee as pain exploded through my solar-plexus. I coughed and gasped for air, panicking for a few seconds as I found that I couldn't. Raiden got down on a knee with me, putting his index and middle-finger to my forehead before a calm warmth spread through me. "Relax and take small breaths first," He instructed firmly but gently. "Trying to gulp in air after I forced your lungs to compress is a bad idea." After a while, I recovered, my breaths still heavy. "Wh...what did you hit me with?" I asked. He sighed and replied, "See, that's the thing Yang. Had you not been so high off of that rage-boner you get every time you lose your hair, you would have dodged or at least blocked that attack." I tried to get mad at him for that, I honestly did, but I just couldn't. It was the truth, and we both knew it. "Hey," He said sternly as he looked at me and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be so frustrated, it's _impossible_ to get it on your first try. Believe me, I know how you feel," He chuckled. "Alright, I think that's enough before the tournament starts. C'mon, let me help you up." He gently lifted me up and dusted me off. "Honestly I think that you'll get it sooner or later, knowing your fighting intuition. Either way, I'm actually proud of how far you've come. Alright, let's wait inside now." I smiled put a hand on on shoulder and stopping him, getting his attention. "Raiden... I want to thank you. You saw me for who I was and the strength I have, and admired me for it, not just because of my looks. You made me, Ruby and my team stronger, and I'm glad to call you a close friend and a teacher."

His eyebrows raised up for a bit until he relaxed, smiling. "Yang, there's no need to thank me-!" I cut him off my pulling him in with his jacket and landing a quick kiss on his cheek, surprising him again. "Consider that," I giggled, "as a thank-you gift." His fingers brushed his cheek before he broke out into a grin, his eyes glowing softly as his fist clenched. "I'll be sure to cherish it." I put a hand to my heart, fluttering my eyelids. "Wow, you're such a romantic guy..." I sighed dramatically, pretending to faint. He stepped in and caught me, his grin even wider. "Am I? I must be, if I make you faint." We both burst into laughter after that, Raiden pulling me up easily.

"Honestly, I'm not going to ask either of you what I just saw," A new voice butt in sternly. Raiden literally leaped away from me, his hands up in the air. Dad walked through the woods with Ruby right behind her, her hood up and a solemn smile on her face. Raiden hurriedly bowed, his face neutral but I could tell he was panicking slightly. "M-Mister Taiyang Sir, we weren't doing anything inappropriate, I promise." Dad raised an eyebrow and leaned in, arms crossed menacingly. "You'd better not be."

"Daaad, I know Raiden's a really good guy, he'd never do something like that to Yang!" Ruby whined, hugging Raiden's arm with a pout aimed at Dad. Dad looked to me for confirmation and I nodded. "Yeah, Raiden's isn't that kind of guy." Raiden looked like he visibly deflated, his entire body going limp. "Besides, we only keep that kind of thing inside the bedroom." Then, Raiden tensed right back up, roaring at me, "DAMMIT YANG, I DON'T WANT TO DIE BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT EVEN STARTS!" Ruby and I collapsed into laughter while Raiden deflated again, sighing and hanging his head. "Speaking of which, the Tournament starts in a few hours," Dad said to Ruby and I. "You'd better get your team ready before it starts. You too, Ryuka."

Raiden nodded quickly and leaped into the air, quickly waving at me and Ruby, bowing to dad before blasting off with an audible ***BOOM*** , an orange streak of aura left behind him. "Ruby, let's follow after him and get to the Airship!" I shouted, getting ready to leap before Dad stopped me. "Go on Ruby, I need to talk to your sister for a bit." She nodded and winked at me before speeding off, rose petals flying through the air. "Dad, I really was joking," I sighed.

"No, it's not really about that," He said, his voice dead serious and catching my attention. "Yang, Raiden seems like a nice guy, don't get me wrong, but... I want you to be very careful around him." I was shocked at first before I got a bit mad at him. "Dad, he'd never hurt a close friend, especially me-!" He cut me off sternly asking, "What makes you so sure about that?" I paused at the question. I had an answer, just not one I could form into words. It was just this feeling of closeness towards him that... "If his father is really who I think he is, then I want you to always be cautious around that boy, understand?" I scowled and looked at the ground.

"Yang..." He sighed, his eyes becoming softer. "I'm not saying that you need to push him away. I wasn't kidding when I said that he really seems like a good person, it's just... you know his mother, that's one thing, but I'll guess he's never spoken to you about his father, right? He and his sister take their mother's last name, am I right again? It's for a reason Yang." I slowly looked at him, curious. "You know who his father is?" He nodded in confirmation but said, "It isn't my place to say. Besides, you wouldn't believe me, and I wouldn't blame you if I told you."I raised my brows in surprise, wondering what kind of person his dad was. "Well, I think I've held you back long enough," He said, patting my shoulder. "Go on, catch up to your sis." I paused for a bit before shooting into the air, using the Sky-Step to leap after them.

'Raiden's father... what kind of person is he to put even Dad on edge?'

 **Claire**

"So, they're coming soon right?" Blake asked, her face still buried in that book of hers. "We only have about three hours until it starts." I pat the girl on her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Raiden is close by, Ruby and Yang are right behind him," I said, pointing to the sky. A small orange dot quickly got bigger and bigger, people but the air-docks noticing it as well, pointing at it and whispering in curiosity. In seconds, Raiden raced right towards us, his aura dissipating as he dropped and tucked his body tight, flipping head-over-heels before landing solidly on his feet with a ***THMP***. "Sorry I took so long," He said after standing straight. "Trying to reserve as much aura as possible for the tournament." Weiss looked around rather hastily, hands on her hips and an annoyed expression on her face. "Where's Ruby and Yang?" Raiden pointed at thumb over his shoulder, a blank expression on his face.

A handful of seconds later, Ruby literally bounced off the walls of buildings in bursts of rose-petals, landing in a quick roll in front of us before posing dramatically. "No need to fear, Ruby Rose is-OMPH!" She was cut off as Yang practically face-planted on her after dropping out of the sky. The poor girl looked like she was knocked unconscious under her older sister, barely a sound coming from her. "R-Ruby!? Oh my God, Ruby, are you alright!?" Yang shouted checking her sister. To my surprise, _Weiss_ off all people literally grabbed Yang, and with strength that completely betrayed her figure, _bodily_ threw her off of Ruby and into Raiden's arms somehow. "Ruby, speak to me, are you okay!?" She asked, holding the limp, hazy-eyed and drooling girl in a princess carry.

Soon enough, Ruby regained her senses and shook her head. "Oh, hey Weiss. Why am I in your arms?" Weiss let out a very strange hail of tears, practically suffocating Ruby with a hug. "Don't scare me like that you dolt, I thought you nearly died for a second!" I laughed lightly as Ruby pat her head rapidly, signaling she was running out of air. Weiss had frantically dropped her on her bottom before helping her off and dusting the girls clothes. "Alright, now that the gang's all here, let's move out!" She said, pointing at the Airship while still being casually held in Raiden's arms. "You comfy?" He asked.

"Very," She laughed back. "Anyway, she's right," Blake said, snapping her book shut. "Let's go."

 **(Two Hours, Fifty-five minutes later...)**

"So... we're the opening match for the qualifiers, hmm?" I asked calmly as we walked into our personal locker room, getting out our real combat clothing. "Yep, that just about sums it up hon'," Oro said, taking his shirt off and throwing it. I couldn't help but stare at his absolutely tempting set of stone abs and arms thick with muscle. Oro caught me staring and grinned, flexing a bit without saying a word. I smiled and turned away, my cheeks tingling. 'Fine, he want's to play that way...' I thought, my back facing him as I took my own shirt off, looking at him sidelong and winking. "Mmm... I like it when you play dirty," He chuckled, silently wrapping his arms around me and nibbling my neck, forcing a small moan out of me. What made it so much worse(?) was when he ran his hands up my sides, teasing me horribly.

"Oh come on, at least wait 'till we're done the match!" Kiko sighed as she strapped on her arm-plating, purple dust-crystals embedded in their centers. Somewhat reluctantly, I pulled away from Oro and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Of course, he pouted childishly and crossed his arms, making me laugh at the image. "Don't worry Oro, the match won't last too long," Raiden said as he slipped his weapons onto his wrists, the metal bracelets soon engulfing his arms and fists with smooth, metallic whirs and clicks. "How do you feel about starting off the first round?" He asked. Oro looked at out Team Leader with a surprisingly beast-like grin, all of his teeth seeming to glint in the light. "It'll be my pleasure. Besides, I've been looking forward to try something a bit new," he said as he put on a golden necklace adorned with his symbol; a monkey-tail attached to a golden waning moon.

"Something new?" Kikoken asked as she slipped her finger-less gloves on, the knuckles studded with purple dust-crystals. I smiled and said, "You will see." Oro laughed and kissed me on the forehead after I'd slipped on my long-sleeved, lightly armored coat, flipping the hood over my head and letting my Faunus-Ears poke out from the holes in the top. I checked the finely made chain-mail, ensuring that there were no breaches in the armor before putting it down and slipping my weapons into its pockets. "Alright..." Raiden asked after putting on his Potara Earrings. "Are we ready?"

Oro pumped his fist into the air, "Damn right I am!"

Kiko smirked and gave a thumbs up, "You better believe it."

I bowed slightly, "I will do my best when the time comes."

Raiden breathed out and smiled lightly, holding out his hands. Kiko clasped her right in his left, Oro did the same, and I followed, the four of us making a circle. "Dad and Mom," Raiden spoke with his eyes closed, "I'm not sure if you can hear me right now... but, I ask of you, grant me, my sister, my team, the strength to push forward like you did in the roughest and even the _best_ of times. Lend us your power to beat the unbeatable, break the unbreakable and see the invisible. Help us... to pierce the heavens and keep moving forward!" As he finished strongly, I swore to myself that I felt something inside of my flutter, this feeling of warmth, determination and a drop of power sending a slight shock through me. Raiden let go soon after, a confident smile on his face. "Time to show the world that Team Rock is back for good. Just making sure: who are we?"

"We're Team Rock!" We all said loudly, blood beginning to pump in my veins.

"Who are we!?" Raiden shouted louder.

"We're Team Rock!" He yelled back.

" **WHO THE HELL ARE WE!?** "

" **JUST** **WHO THE HELL DO YOU _THINK WE ARE!?_ WE'RE TEAM ROCK!** "

 **Ruby**

"Oh man, I can't wait to see what Raiden's team has in store for us!" I squealed excitedly, bouncing in my seat. "Honestly, I wouldn't expect much," Blake sighed, though she also seemed hyped up. "If they're going against any average team, they'll slaughter them. It probably won't even last for one minute." Yang for once was kinda silent, which was a bit weird, but I didn't pry into that too much. Weiss was as Weissy as ever, filing her nails but trying to hide how excited she was as well, impatiently tapping her foot. "When is the match going to start already?" She muttered. Suddenly, the speakers blared with static for a few seconds before Professor Port's voice came through. "Ladies and Gentlemen... welcome to the 75th Annual VYTAL FESTIVAL!" The entire crowd roared, myself included and I could help but shoot my hands into the air in joy. "For the first match-up, this looks like quite the crowd, wouldn't you think Barty?" The mustachioed man chuckled, a giant holographic screen popping up with the image of him, Pro... _Doctor_ Oobleck, and to everyone's surprise, Raiden's mom as well.

"Indeed Port, this is without doubt the largest crowd we've ever received for the very first round of the Vytal festival," the Doc rapid-fired out of his mouth.

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised," Mrs Ryuka spoke this time. "With more potential hunters and huntresses out there, there's bound to be strong and exciting fighters out there. That being said, it's only them who will prevail in the finals!"

People cheered and shouted again, ready for the first awesome match-up. "Alright then people, without further ado, let's go to the randomization process and pick our first two teams of the year. First team up is..." The display buzzed rapidly before the first column came to a halt, stopping on... "Team Rock, of Beacon! Versus... Team Blood, of Atlas! Fighters, please step up into the center of the arena!" Out of the far left tunnel, first came Team Blood, all four of them dressed in black-hooded robes, and carrying Katana blades at their waist, though the guy in front had a much longer one than the others. Blake groaned and put her palm to her face with a loud *SMACK*, muttering, "Weebs? Are you kidding me? Even I'm not that bad...!" I didn't know what she meant, but the way they were dressed up did seem kinda dorky and emo. Scratch that, it was _really_ emo. They all were guys with thick black eyeliner and black lipstick, which looked really weird.

Everyone looked to the right tunnel, expecting them to come out soon after. For a full minute, nothing happened, and people started to go quiet, wondering what was taking them so long. "Hey, what's taking them so long?" Weiss asked impatiently, tapping her foot again. Suddenly, a wave of _something_ washed over me, over the entire crowd in fact, everyone flinching and cringing backwards in surprise and shock.

The darkness of the tunnel lit up with a mix of orange, violet, pale yellow and teal, silhouetting the team as they walked into the sunlight. Their faces were a mix of serious from Claire and Raiden, along with giant smirks from Oro and Kikoken. Claire was wearing this cool hood and jacket that really gave off this old assassin vibe, while Oro was wearing only a necklace, a large brown tatty scarf and a pair of baggy white pants, his sword strapped to his back. Raiden was wearing his normal combat gear, while Kiko was wearing what looked to be the heaviest armor in the team, a metal chestplate and shoulder-guards with engravings on them, along with arm-plates and finger-less gloves studded with what looked like purple gravity-dust.

As loud as the crowd started to cheer, I swore that I heard every step they made in complete sync. Yang, Blake and Weiss were all silent, their eyes on them as they walked to the center of the ring, standing side by side. All four of them practically _oozed_ confidence, the four of them actually taking the time to sit down. Well, three of them, Oro was standing up and cracking his neck, loosening himself up. "Ladies and gentlemen, let this first match of the Vytal Festival Tournament begin in..."

"10!"

Raiden stood up and pat Oro on the shoulder, whispering something that made him grin widely.

"7!"  
Kikoken gave the Faunus a fist-bump and a thumbs up.

"5!"

Claire stood on her tip-toes, giving him a kiss on the cheek. 'Why do they all look like they're wishing him good luck?'

"3...2...1... **OPEN THE GAME**!" Mrs Ryuka roared through the speakers. Again to everyone's surprise, Kiko and Claire grabbed onto Raiden's arms before he jumped into the air... and out of the ring. "In a shocking first move, Raiden, Claire and Kikoken have leaped out of the ring and have left Oro Wukong alone against the entirety of Team Blood, intentionally!" Port spoke in surprise. "How will the young man deal with such a task, even if he is without a doubt very skilled?" Blake was on the edge of her seat, her eyes narrowed. "We've all seen that Sun's brother can fight, but against four people? What are they planning? And, if he get's beaten, then there's no way for them to continue in the Tournament."

"Don't worry about it," Yang said, a smirk on her face. "Most people think that he's at a disadvantage in both numbers and strength, but thanks to Raiden, I can feel how strong a person is. To sum it up..." She pointed at the members of team Blood, "All four of them _combined_ have no hope of beating Oro once he takes things seriously. Watch." Oro was watching them slowly closing in on him, their swords out as they pointed them at him. "One thing that I don't know is, even if he can beat them... how's he gonna beat them? He's still going to have a tough time if he gets distracted, and this is _Oro_ we're talking about..." I asked. Oro over the time we got to know him, was a lot like his brother Sun; adventurous, loved parties, and generally couldn't sit still for a minute straight. We were all answered by him taking in a big breath in before opening his mouth and letting out a roar that shook the stadium.

" ** _RAAAAAAAAAGH_**!" He screamed, his body growing bigger, and bigger while steam-like pale yellow aura blasted off of him, whipping everyone's hair back and blinding us. When I looked back, I swore that my heart stopped for a few seconds. Oro had turned into a... giant monkey. He must've been 15 meters tall, his golden fur covering everything but his face with glowing gold eyes, hands, and monkey-like feet. His pants stretched to fit him somehow, along with the strap of his sword. The blade would be useless right now, being about the size of a toothpick in his hands. "H-he turned into that!?" Weiss shouted over his roaring. "But being that big means having plenty of blind spots, especially against many opponents-!" Again surprising us, he suddenly stopped roaring, his eyes turning from pure gold back into normal human-like eyes. Soon, he closed them and his entire body started to glow a pale white before he seemed to get smaller and smaller. "Wh-what... what is he going to do!?"

 **Oro**

 **(Que Music: One Piece, Gear Second Theme)**

I focused on condensing my Great-Ape form into something I could control, all of my aura condensing into a smaller and more compact body without being lost. This being the third time I've ever used the form, I still wasn't used to the feeling of raw power coursing through my veins. As I opened my eyes, I was greeted with golden fur covering my arms, most of my body aside from my torso and upper abs, small sparks of white and gold electricity dancing around my new form. My now pure golden hair grew out like crazy too, still spiking up messily on top but now touching the bit between my shoulder-blades and draping over my shoulders.

Taking a quick peek at my tail, I saw it was also shining gold. A grin split my face as I turned my head to face one of the guys who started to move towards me. "You **sure** about that buddy?" He stopped for a sec, a bit of fear on his face before he cried out and charged forward, his blade suddenly lighting up in flames. I shrugged and said, "Alright, just so you don't hold it on me... **I warned ya**."

 **(Que Music: One piece, Let's Battle)**

I sped forward and quickly shot my leg out in a roundhouse kick for his stomach. I knew that I was strong in this form, but I never got to test it out; the kick shattered the ground beneath me, sending him rocketing out of the entire arena and slamming into the crowd-barrier with an echoing ***BOOM*** before he slid off and landed out of bounds, all of his aura shattered in that one strike. The crowd erupted into cheers, all of the Faunus girls in the crowd screaming and cheering me on, blowing me desperate kisses. 'Sorry, but I've already got a good girl at my side,' I thought with a grin before I turned to face Claire, who gave me a raised eyebrow and a thumbs up. I winked and looked back to Raiden and Kiko. Both of them were shocked, but while Kiko had her jaw on the floor, Raiden was clapping, nodding his head and smiling.

I smirked and turned back to the other three, quickly taking a look at my own Aura-Bar. 'Still on 100%, just as I thought.' The first two times I tried using this form, I noticed that I could stay in it for long periods of time before I got too tired to maintain it, and considering I've been working on my stamina (no thanks to my hot girlfriend, wink-wink nudge-nudge) I guessed that I could stay in it for even longer now. "Okay then!" I said loudly, turning back to look at the other three. "I need some help breaking in this new form of mine. You guys willing to help a buddy out?" I asked, only to get more silence from them. "Uh... I'm also gonna hold back a lot, if that helps!" Still more silence. I slumped over a bit as I felt a large sweat-drop roll down my face. 'I probably shouldn't use too much of my Wing-Fu on them either,' I thought, making a mental note to not go all badass Martial-Arts mode on them.

"Wow, you guys really need to learn how to talk to people more often-"

"CHARGE ALL AT ONCE!" The guy in the middle, Brian, suddenly screamed, all three of the rushing me with their swords. I hopped back from a stab to my stomach, batted a slash to my head away with my knuckle and leaped over a wide cut aimed for my belly. "There we go!" I laughed as I landed, pivoting and facing them in a stance. "For a second there, I was pretty much sure that you were about to run away screaming like Jaune." I heard a distant but annoyed, "Hey!" from the crowd, and I laughed even more. "Anyway, let's have a bit o' fun, eh?" I said before I dashed in, my hand itching to draw my sword but holding back. If I even just defended with the sword, I'd probably break the poor guy's arm with amount of power coursing through me. One guy, David, came at me with an overhead chop, and I quickly caught his wrist in my hand, shifting on the spot and whipping him around with me before tripping him up and punching him in the chest with a single knuckle throwing him into another guy.

My foot shot out in a side-kick, snapping into guy number 3, aka Orsen's jaw, his head whipping back before I grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face right into my elbow, a wet, gushy-sounding _*SMACK*_ rung through the arena as the guy's nose was turned into a mash of ketchup. 'Wow, I'm strong enough to go through aura defense with this form? Huh, the more ya know. Now he'll waste a lot of aura trying to heal it.' I tripped him up, uppercutting him in the jaw before and throwing him away, his body sailing through the air before landing several meters away, clutching his nose. While he was distracted, I grabbed him by the neck and gave him a really satisfying choke-slam into the floor, the stone cracking in giving way until he was ass-deep. As I snickered at the sight, I heard a blade whistle through the air and I instinctively stomped the ground, a broken tile shooting up and whacking my attacker in the chin before back-flip kicking his head, sending him face-first into the floor, but to give him some credit, he recovered quickly and rolled to his feet.

"Eat Dust, you ape!" He yelled, his sword shifting into a rifle before he opened fire. Quickly, I shot my hand forward, a wave of air shattering the bullets and lifting him off of his feet. Not wasting any time I leaped at him, grabbed his foot and began to spin before tossing him into another teammate, both of them crashing back into the floor with rocks and tiles flying everywhere. "Not bad recovery, even if I do say so myself," I said, walking calmly towards them. A grenade flow out of the dust, and I lashed my foot out, sending it flying into the air before it exploded with a ***BOOM***. Again as the team was distracted, I punched the ground, the stone shattering and sending tiles and chunks up into the air, one of them floating right in front of Orsen's face. Taking the chance, I leaped forward and punched through the stone, slamming my fist into his face, more blood flying from his nose as he screamed, "WHY THE FACE AGAIN!?"

Brian and David rushed me from the sides, and I quickly lowered my stance, crossing my arms in front of my face before shooting them out to the sides with a loud, "HAAH!" Blasts of wind hit them dead on, blowing the away as they landed with a really satisfying sound on the stone floor, all of them groaning in pain.

"Barely over a minute, Oro Wukong _schools_ team Blood by himself without even a hint of panic or distress!" Rei commentated. "Can the remaining members of Team Blood pull themselves together and find a way to beat him before they're eliminated?"

'Not to brag, but that's really not going to happen,' I thought, standing upright and waiting patiently. "Orsen, David, regroup!" That Brian-guy shouted, and I guessed that was their leader. I shrugged to myself and took a quick look at the Aura-bars. Mine was _still_ at 100%, Brian (the sort-of Team Leader) was at 42%, Orsen (the guy who's nose was tomato-sauce) was hanging in at 32%, and David had it off the best at 58%. As soon as the three of them got back together, they raised their blades again. "We're gonna put you down, Faunus trash!" Orsen yelled. At that, my grin dropped off of my face. "Ooh, someone didn't like that, huh?" David cut in, his hand trying (and failing) to stealthily reach into his robe. I ground my teeth lightly before beginning to step forward, more or less ready to shove these guys heads into the ground. Suddenly, David whipped out something that caught me off guard; plain, perfectly spherical rocks. He tossed them at me, and I didn't even bother to dodge... big mistake.

"First bomb, activate!" He yelled, the plain old rocks suddenly exploding right next to my ears. "AAARGH, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" I roared, closing my eyes and covering my ringing ears before falling to a knee. The 'worst' part about the form was that almost all of my senses aside from pain were heightened, including hearing to an extent. "Orsen, restrain him!" Brian yelled again. I cracked an eye open and saw pitch-black tentacles pop out of my own shadow, wrapping around my legs, arms and torso. "Oh HELL NO, I've watched _MORE_ than enough blocked-website hentai to see where this can go!" I yelled. Brian sprinted towards me, his blade shifting into a pretty cool-looking bazooka of some kind. 'Oh wait, he's gonna fire that at me, isn't he?' I thought right before he took aim at me. 'I'll take that as a yes.'

"Open wide monkey!" He laughed, the barrel humming and glowing.

"I'm not into that stuff," I deadpanned right as it fired right at my face, my vision turning white.

 **(Music End)**

 **Kikoken**

"Oh shoot, Oro!" I shouted, my body instinctively tensing up to leap in and help him. Raiden quickly brought me back to my senses, slapping a firm hand down on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it," He said evenly. I looked back at the destruction that the Dust-Cannon caused, the stone stage was in complete rubble from the straight blast for about one hundred meters or so, dust kicked up everywhere. "But even with aura and that new form of his, there's just no way for him to shrug off a blast from that close-!"

"Kikoken," Claire interrupted. "Oro will do fine. He's become strong, very strong, and these enemies will not be able to beat him. Look at his own Aura-Bar, for example." Her face was calm and her expression was schooled as it always was, but she was fighting to keep a giant smile off of her face. I took a look at the display and felt my eyebrows shoot up. Oro was at an insane 98%, even from that point-blank blast to the face. 'Huh. Well, they're screwed then,' I thought with a relaxed sigh. The dust of the ruined strip of arena started to blow away, white streaks of light piercing through it before Oro slowly stepped out of it, his body shining much brighter than before. "Please tell me you didn't think that a soft blast like that would either knock me out of the ring or eliminate all of my aura?" He sighed, his hand on his hip.

All three of them looked like they were about to piss themselves, the leader falling on his ass as Oro started to walk forward, before stopping. He relaxed and got into a stance, both of his hands open and his fingers closed together, left in front of right as he stood up almost completely straight, the tips of his fingers pointing at his enemies. 'Oh boy, he's gonna use that martial-art stuff on them. Now they really _are_ screwed, even if they only last for a few seconds.'

"I'll give you guys one more chance," He said. "Come at me, no tricks, just give it your all." Orsen, growled and gripped is weapon in both hands, yelling, "Screw this, I'm not going out like a bitch to a monkey! FULL POWER SHADOW!" Everyone's shadow in the arena suddenly rippled before entire hands began to shoot out and engulf David entirely, wrapping him and his sword in pure darkness. "Yeah, bring it on ape!" David screeched, throwing his broken weapon down as small explosions started to pop off of his palms. Brian... well, he more or less hid behind the two of them as Oro crushed his weapon underfoot with a metallic **_*CRUNCH*_**.

David pointed his hands behind him, explosions from his hands blasting him towards Oro with a hand drawn back, a knife suddenly appearing in his hand. With speed and skill that betrayed his size, Oro caught the blade in between his fingers and twisted quickly, flipping the guy mid-air before his fists blurred into precise blows, striking David in the face, neck, chest and ribs, he body jerked around in the air like a rag-doll, right up until Oro jumped into the air and spun rapidly and viciously roundhouse-kneed him in the head, his aura shattering like glass as he tumbled across the floor, unconscious. Orsen was the next to rush him, gliding right at him with his sword slashing down at his head. "Auric Arte: Bloody Counter!" Oro shouted, his fist shooting up and batting the sword away, white aura trailing from his fists as they both shot forward at the same time right into Orsen's gut, the shadow-armor shattering as he folded in on his fists. "You're finished! Auric Arte, Daylight Flash!" A beam of pale-yellow aura burst from his fists, launching a now well-seared Orsen out of the ring, all of his aura gone as he hit the dirt floor.

Wasting no time, Oro pivoted and leaped into the air, flipping head over heels before crashing down on Brian knee-first, the poor guy letting out a loud screech before his eyes rolled up into his head as his body went limp. Oro got back up and dusted himself off, raising a fist to the crowd as they burst into cheers once again. I let go of a breath that I didn't know that I was holding, my body relaxing. "Oro Wukong crushes the competition in a spectacular manner!" Doc. Oobleck boomed through the speakers, even over all of the cheering. "Team Rock advances to the next round!" Oro put his hands in his pockets as he casually walked towards us, hopping off of the stage. "So... whadda ya think?" He asked.

"For one thing, you've been holding out on us man," Raiden said with a grin, the two of them bumping fists. "Why didn't you use it on Drei back when he called you out? You could have easily decked him like that with your power, your speed, your defense... you've surpassed him on every level, with that form of yours."

"If I know Oro," I cut in, a smirk on my face as I crossed my arms, "He probably wanted to prove to himself that he could beat Drei without using it, right?" Oro raised his hands, a fake look of fear on his face. "Oh no, you caught me! Please don't punish me too badly..." Claire put her hands on her hips, leveling a glare at him and saying, "Considering that you could have simply used the form and not put yourself in such a bad position, I think you should be punished." We all stayed like that for a few seconds before we burst into laughter. "Alright, seriously though," I said, patting him on his fur-covered shoulder, "You did a really good job." Claire slipped her hand into his and squeezed lightly, the two of them looking at each other with a smile. "Of course he did," She said softly.

"One thing though, why are you still in that form?" Raiden asked, pointing at Oro, startling him.

"Oh shoot, gimme a sec. I've gotten pretty used to it, so it just feels... natural," He chuckled, closing his eyes as his power started to drop, the golden glow around his body fading until he returned back to normal, his hair becoming pale yellow and the fur covering him disappearing like smoke. "There we go, all done!" He said, his body actually slightly slimmer than his previous form. As we started to walk out of the arena through the tunnel, I asked Oro, "How are you that much faster? Normally your semblance only allows for brute force, but you were so much quicker in that new form of yours?" Oro scratched his chin for a second, humming before coming up with something. "Well, think about it like this; the higher implements of my semblance grants me mainly raw power, especially my 'Full-Beast' form. But when I compress all of that raw power into a smaller form, I not only make myself way stronger, but faster too rather than just adding "

"Aura _does_ get more powerful and volatile when it's highly compressed," Raiden summed up. "With the amount of Aura you have in your Full-Beast state, if all of that was condensed into a smaller body, it's no wonder you got stronger like that. Though, that begs the question... how _did_ you find a way to compress the Beast Form? Last I checked, you were basically mindless like that, and you'd stay that way until you wasted all of your aura." Oro grinned and nudged Claire, who turned a bit red as she said, "Well... I managed to calm him down by reaching out to him with my aura, and once he managed to control himself, he managed to take the compact form you just saw."

"In other words, you have her to thank for me not going crazy in the ring," Oro said proudly, kissing her on the cheek. "Anyway, I think we should celebrate a perfect start to the Tournament with an equally perfect meal. How does that sound?" Raiden asked, digging into his pocket and pulling out a wallet. Oro, Claire and I raised our hands simultaneously saying, "Let's go!"

 **Cinder Fall**

"...And you're absolutely sure that the plan will work, even with people as powerful as them here?" Kagome asked, her hands crossed as she glared daggers at Team Rock. I looked at her with an eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on my face. "You sound like you're afraid of them." She turned to glare at me, a vein in her forehead popping slightly. "I am _not_ afraid of them. I am more than capable of handling them myself, especially since I've surpassed the limits of my semblance. However, I _am_ worried that your overconfidence in this will be something that will be exploited in the future, and that may lead you into a bad situation." I covered my mouth with my hand, snickering into it. "Are my ears really working? _You_ , of all people are giving a speech about overconfidence? I didn't think I would have ever seen that coming." She rolled her eyes as we got up to leave the stadium, brushing herself off.

"Yes I'm telling you overconfidence is bad," She shot back. "Even _I_ have a limit to it, while you... well, look at what happened when you attacked Amber. Because you decided _not_ to look to your right, you only gained half of the Maiden's Power. The very way you fight speaks even more for my argument. So tell me Cinder, I'm I _really_ just spitting into the wind? Or are my words making sense?" I paused at that, deciding to look away and clench my teeth lightly. Her logic was, for a lack of better working, ironclad. I couldn't argue against it, but it was a fairly hard pill for me to swallow. "Although..." She started again, regaining my attention, "I can't really blame you. After-all, it _does_ run in our blood."

I sighed and grinned lightly at her. Again, she wasn't wrong, far from it. "You've grown wiser since I've last seen you."

"You've grown your hair out since I've last seen you," She said back, a small smile on her face.

I chuckled and lightly pat her on the shoulder. "I decided that it wold look better on me. Does it?" She nodded before our signature smirk appeared on her face.

"Yes... but it isn't as good as mine." I laughed at that one jut as we reached Mercury and Emerald. "Hey boss, and... other Boss," Mercury greeted, waving to us casually. Emerald being Emerald did a small bow to both of us, causing Kagome to frown. "Stop that," She said sharply, startling Emerald. "You have greater value than you think. I will not have a subordinate who kisses the dirt for everything Cinder or I does, so carry yourself with pride." Mercury snickered and elbowed the red-face girl, earning a slap the the shoulder. As we walked into the airship that would take up back into the Academy, I pondered to Kagome aloud, "Is that really a good idea?"

"Hmm?" She hummed, glancing at me curiously.

"Giving your subordinates, or more specifically my subordinate that level of confidence?" She seemed to think on this for a minute, though knowing her, she most likely already had the perfect answer. "Think on it like this; if you grip your subjects too tightly, they'll fight back. Too weak a grip, and they may run free. The solution, give them a real sense of... individuality. Give them the privilege of being able to talk back to you, to understand what you are doing, hell, to even become actual partners with," She said in a very analytical tone. "And through that, your bond will grow stronger, as will your trust and sense of camaraderie. However, make it clear to them who's still in charge. You are their master, and they should be grateful for such a privilege."

I thought on this for a while before asking, "While that is true, what about your... defector? Azure Shockblood? Though you know the secret behind his name, he still persistently attempts to fight against you." I raised a brow as a rather dark smile appeared on her face, a sense of satisfaction roiling off of her. "He's a different case. I _let_ him defy my command, give him a truly false sense of rebellion, of freedom from me... for _now_. When the plan is executed... so is _he_." I chuckled to myself, getting comfortable in my seat. 'She really does have her side of the plan all figured out, and she isn't taking it lightly either. I may be older than her, yet... I look up to her,' I thought fondly, glancing at her once again. She didn't give any sign that she saw, but her hand laid itself on top of mine, squeezing lightly.

"It's been a while since we've simply talked, hasn't it?" She asked in a faraway tone.

I nodded, smiling to myself. "Yes... yes it has sister."

 **Ornstein**

"Now what in the name of the Lords is that!?" I chocked up, looking at the massive array automatons that were being transported within the belly of the Atlesian military airships. First were the human-sized Atlesian Knights, all ready with weapons in their hands and on their backs. Next came the Atlesian Paladins, their new coat of soft white and black accented paint belying their sturdy and massive frame. These two I were aware of, but the third one in the middle dwarfing them all was... I couldn't even begin to describe it. It's roughly 94-foot tall body was very slim, its 'chest-armor' surrounding it in rings as it stood on two thin, yet heavily armored double-kneed legs, cannons situated on each outer-side of the leg, cylindrical metal serving as its feet. Attached to its upper body close to its head were large, wing-like protrusions, three massive triple-barreled cannons mounted on each of them, and glowing even in the fair light on the bottom of each 'wing' was a giant blade made from Blue Barrier-Dust, energy crackling from each blade. Finally, it's head was very pointed at the chin, its entire face very pointy as a matter of fact, a single rectangular blue 'eye' placed in the middle of it.

"I'm temped to call it a dragon of sorts," Ciaran stated, also awed by it, "But it's build is... strangely crafted."

"That," Ironwood said, waving at it. "Is Atlas' final line of defense: say hello to the newest model of the Metal Gear Ray!" To further my shock, it's head swiveled around and looked right at us, its right wing seeming to 'wave' in our direction. " **Afternoon, General Ironwood!** " The 'Ray' boomed, my hand going to my spear instinctively before I relaxed, realizing there was a human inside of it and controlling its movements. "Afternoon Lieutenant Ocelot! How's the Mark III running so far?" He shouted back up at it.

" **Works like a charm Big Boss. The dust-blades are deadly, the armor is even more durable, and she purrs like a cat!** " I snorted to myself at that. 'Blake has most likely sneezed right about now,' I thought before another thought invaded into my mind. "Hold on a minute, did you just state Mark... 3?" I asked, looking at the magnificent machine of war in front of me. "You heard me right. This is the third and best model of the Ray so far. Our first model... was fairly defective," He replied, scratching his jaw.

I raised a brow and said, "In other words, it exploded in your face, didn't it?"

He sighed and nodded reluctantly, surprising me. He was becoming humble. "Yes, it exploded spectacularly. Thankfully, the pilot survived with very minor injuries, though he insisted that the program continue. So it did, and the Mark II was born. It looks somewhat similar to this one, but with a much thicker body, legs, flatter feet, and a more dome-like head. It isn't as fast or as smooth as the Mark III, but they can hold their own easily in combat. The other three Airships in the area have Mark II's stored in their respective hangars, ready to be dropped if things suddenly get too messy on the ground." I looked at the Ray once more, my mind unable to come up with something. Rather, it was Ciaran who spoke out.

"Are these machines part of public knowledge?" She asked, arms crossed, to which the general shook his head.

"Not at all. Not yet at least," He stated firmly. "These are simply part of a precautionary measure, and I have no intention of revealing them just as a show of power. Paladins and AK's are one thing, but the Rays need to stay as secretive as possible. You're already aware of an infiltration on the Tower at Beacon... and you were right about the incompetence of my men against this person. For all we know, there could be more than one of them in Beacon right now, under our noses. I don't want to take any more risks regarding this event, and that's because you opened my eyes, Ornstein."

I was genuinely surprised at the human man standing in front of me. He hated that he was acknowledging his mistakes, but at the same time, he was learning from them. He understood that he had made mistakes, and was willing to better himself for it. I put a hand on his shoulder and leveled my most serious gaze on him. "Ironwood. I never thought that I'd be saying this to a human aside from Ozpin... but I can confidently say that you've earned my respect. You've understood your mistakes, and you chose to learn from them. Although," I chuckled, waving a hand to the Ray and the other Airships. "Don't you think this may be a bit... I don't know, a bit too _much_?"

Ironwood chuckled to himself, smiling slightly. "Well, chalk it up to my paranoia."

"Fear is a good thing General," Ciaran stated, "It keeps any normal person on their toes and at their best." He chuckled at that, nodding to himself. "Fair enough, fair enough. Alright Ocelot, run a few more checks on her and then take a break, you've been at it all morning!" The Ray nodded its head, the pilot booming, " **Alright Boss, I'll be done in fifteen. Catch you later!** " He actually 'waved' the right wing of the Ray at us, earning a laugh from my throat at how comic the scene was. "If I can ask, where's your companion Artorias?" Ironwood asked, curious. "I haven't seen him all morning, come to think about it..."

"He's going over precautions during the Tournament with Ozpin and Glynda," Ciaran said as we began our trek back to the control-room, the 'brain' of the ship if you will. "Ever since this 'breach' that occurred months before our appearance, I think it would be best for all of us to do our best to keep the city and school safe once more, even if we're working somewhat... separately," She sighed the last word slightly, her eyes drifting off into space as a light blush blossomed on her face. I snickered at her, knowing she was dreaming of our missing wolf-knight and therefore earning another vicious elbow to the ribs. That being said, another thought came to my mind, one that I couldn't help but ask.

"Ironwood, if I may, this pilot of the first Ray, is he still on active duty?"

Ironwood turned his head and smirked, replying, "You had just met him. Lieutenant Ocelot is a close friend of mind whom I'd trust with my life, and he's not just an extremely competent fighter, but he's also an Ace-level pilot with anything machine-based, from cars, to Paladins, and now to the Rays." I was surprised by that, instinctively turned to look back before continuing to walk. 'Hmm, he seems like quite a decent person. I'll keep in mind that I should meet him,' I thought idly. While I was thinking, I noticed that the General was talking on a scroll (damn complicated and fragile devices, I accidentally destroyed one by poking its screen with a little extra force once), and I caught a few of his words. "Yes Winter... tomorrow? Well, that's perfect. Excellent, I'll be waiting in front of Beacon for you... your sister? Sure, you have my permission to catch up with her. Alright, I'l see you tomorrow evening then. Have a good day."

As soon as he put the scroll away, I asked with a grin, "Who was that 'Winter' person?"

"Well-" He started before I said...

"She sounds like quite the _cold_ person." Both Ciaran and the General stopped dead in their tracks. While I couldn't see Ciaran's expression as she was behind me, I could see the dead-faced expression that Ironwood gave me, it was the look of a man who was dying on the inside. Painfully. In Agony. Seconds later, I received a hard whack to the back of my head before I burst into cackling, thinking, 'Most _definitely_ worth it.'

 **?-Unknown-?**

I growled as I emerged from my bathing-pool, the black abyssal liquid dripping off of me. ' **The time is coming soon,** ' I thought as I began walking towards the light, the opening of the cave. " **Being asleep for so long has made me slow, I can feel it in my bones,** " I huffed, annoyed at the feeling of weakness in my body. Walking into the sunlight made me flinch slightly, holding a hand up to my face before my eyes adjusted to it. Looking over the ruined capital of Mount Glen made me smile once again, the lingering negativity in the air feeding me strength once again. " **Hmph...** " I muttered as I saw in he distance the giant floating Arena which my troops had told me about in my dreams, surrounded by giant floating machines of war. Looking at them, I just couldn't help but grin widely, licking my tongue over my teeth as I imagined tearing through the careless humans in Vale.

" **However, I can't do this all by myself, can I?** " I sighed, looking to the other larger mountain to my left where my loyal 'pet' was buried. I could sense his eagerness to burst free and wreck havoc open them, but I held my hand out to the mountain and soothed him, ensuring that he kept still and not alert the humans before the plan commenced. " **Not yet,** " I breathed. " **Not just yet. As soon as Divine Lightning strikes, then you shall rise. As for me...** " I grunted as I leaped from the cave plummeting and landing on the old stone surface of the ground. I summoned my bone armor to cover me once again, the material protecting everything, its shape similar to that of my previous armor before I became a General of Grimm." **I must prepare myself for the battle against the Abysswalker, and to do that... I have to be in top shape.** " I breathed in deeply, reaching into my soul and calling on my blade, said weapon sprouting out of the ground while standing just a bit shorter than I was at six feet tall.

Gripping the hilt, I opted not to equip my helmet until I fought seriously before lifting the blade and propping it on my shoulder. " **Once the negative energy spikes tremendously twice, that is when the attack begins. That's what Lady Salem and Princess Cinder had said to me... so until then, I shall train.** " I allowed another grin to split my face as another thought come to mind. " **This attack... this will signal the beginning and the end of days for humans and Faunus alike.** "

 **TWBY CONTINUED...**

* * *

 **A.N: Welcome back to all of you who've been waiting for my return for so long. I want to lend a quick shout-out to NeoNazo356, creator of of the amazing RWBY fanfic 'Giantslayer'. He's the reason for what I hope to be the ever-progressing improvement in my story, and you should check out his own story too, it's one of the main inspirations which went into the making of my own story! That being said, thank you guys for being patient and thank you for the support that I've been getting. Leave a Follow if what you see interests you, leave a Fav if you enjoy what I'm doing, and don't be afraid to review me, tell me what I'm doing right and what I could improve on in the later future. Finally, thank you all for reaching 2.9 THOUSAND VIEWS, 9 Favs, 12 Follows, and 9 Reviews!**

 **For those of you who think you got a few of the subtler references in the chapter, feel free to try your luck in a review!**

 **Peace out!**


	16. A Letter of Apology to the readers

**A quick note from me!**

 **An apology in the mix...**

Hey guys, Tengatsu here. I just want to give you a quick head's up on the situation revolving around my story. I wan't to apologize to those who will be waiting for the upcoming chapter tomorrow, as it will come delayed (DUN-DUN-DUUUN). Yeah, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, as I have two more exams to power through. I just want to let you know though that the chapter will be coming up hopefully later this week, and at the ABSOLUTE LATEST next Monday. That being said, I'm once again sorry, and I hope you have a good day or night. Peace out.


	17. A lesson, and a TRUE promise

**(A.N: Welcome back to the story guys, thank you for your continued support! I don't own RWBY and any other things which I use which clearly are not mine, they are all owned by their respective producers and creators. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **[Into the Dark]**

 **[Chapter 16]**

 **A lesson from...Kikoken?**

 **What I will do to protect our future**

* * *

 **Yang**

"Yang, Fire-Flower!" Ruby shouted to me. Grinning, I flipped backward at her just as she spun her scythe, my boots landing right on the blade before she swung and fired me right at our opponent. " **RED KING BURST!** " I roared, the red flame exploding around me as I kicked off the air and drew my fist back. "Auric Arte: SUNSET SMASH!" My fist rocketed into the guy's armor, blowing him away and slamming him into a destroyed building. "Anri is eliminated by a depleted aura level!" Prof. Port blared. "Team Ruby is cleaning up the competition with ease! Of course, the exception to that rule being Alan Ward with his tactical decision of defending himself with his dust-powered shield!" I grinned and leaped into the air as shots of dust were fired my way, firing shots from Ember Celica back at the dude who was hiding behind some kind of dust-type force-field. "We'll never be able to break that, even with my new rounds for Crescent Rose and my semblance! I;m not sure if even Fire-Flower of Bumblebee will put a dent in it!" Ruby whined, still trying to open fire before she retreated behind a wall, reloading as more bombs were thrown our way.

"I have and idea!" Weiss said, quickly running over to me. "Hand me your boots Yang!" Quickly, I lifted my feet towards her, and all of a sudden felt a spike of aura right on the soles. Looking at them, a saw a single small glyph on each of them, except this time... "Wow Weiss... these are really damn strong, as powerful as your bigger ones, actually!" She smirked as flipped her hair. "Consider it a lesson I got from your raging boyfriend. He's tips are more than useful. Now, get over to Ruby and let her do your combination attack again." Nodding I sprung up and leaped at Ruby. The glyph's addition let me cover the distance in the blink of an eye, landing right beside Ruby before another bomb was thrown my way. "You two focus on finding an opening," Blake said, quickly peaking at Alan before he could see her. "You're right. He can only turn on the spot, and moving away from that spot will cause the shield to be disabled," Ruby said, her eyes narrowing and her voice dropping to a serious tone. "He's not running low on those bombs of his, and he still has a lot of ammo left, but he's gonna try and conserve both of them. Be careful Blake, you're aura's really low too, so don't rely on your semblance too much. I'll launch Yang again with our Fire-Flower combo once we're in the clear." Blake smirked and readied herself.

"You've got something up your sleeve, don't you?" I asked her with a grin.

"Of course. Something I've been working on for a bit." She didn't elaborate before she suddenly took off into the opening, Alan quickly opening fire on her. Rather than dodging by leaving behind entire clones of herself, I saw her instead using just clones of her legs and feet, still managing to move at blinding speeds. And if she was hit by a stray bullet, she's only use a specific body-part clone to take the damage rather than using a whole one. 'Blake, you genius!' I thought as she maneuvered around Alan in the open area of the destroyed city, leaping off of rocks and walls, diverting his attention. "Yang, one more time!" Ruby shouted, prepping her scythe as rose-petals started to drift off of her hands and arms. "Right!" I said, hopping into the air and landing on her scythe once more. "Red and Yellow: FIRE-FLOWER!" Ruby yelled, launching me at Alan with all her might, and just as I leaped at him, I roared once more, " **RED KING BURST!** " The force of the throw and the leap ripped through the air with a deafening ***BOOM*** before I drew my fist back and yelled, "KNOCK KNOCK!?" Alan turned around just in time to see my fist tear through the shield like paper, slamming into his face and blowing him away. "WINNER of the SIXTH ROUND, TEAM RWBY!" Doctor Oobleck announced, people going wild with cheers.

Picking myself off of the floor, I laughed and raised my fist into the air with triumph, everyone else doing the same with me. Ruby grinned and hugged me, Weiss and Blake at our sides as we made our exit. To my surprise, Raiden was there waiting for us, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and a grin on his face. "You all did great," He said as we met up with him, high-fiving Ruby and giving me a fist bump. I grinned and flipped my hair, putting my hands on my hips. "C'mon, those guys were pushovers," I said with a smirk. "Besides, they didn't even stand a chance when we got serious." Weiss nodded curtly, doing her heiress-like look with her nose up as she tried to look down in Raiden (granted, he was still taller than her by a lot). "Did you think we wouldn't do as well? Please, it was an expected result." Raiden laughed at that, patting her on the head like a puppy. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. Come on, I know you guys are probably hungry." As we were following him, I walked up beside him and asked quietly, "Is something wrong?" He nodded very slightly as to not alert the others. "Be on your guard. Kagome is waiting by the air-docks after seeing your fight. I don't want your team to get into any problems with her, so I'll make sure that you're alright."

"Thank you," I whispered with a smile.

"Don't mention it," He said back, a grin on his face.

As soon as we left the locker-rooms of the coliseum, Kagome was waiting right at the exit, almost blocking our path. All of us tensed up as she began walking towards us, me specifically. On instinct, I unfurled Ember Celica and let my aura flare, not even phasing her as she only grinned. Ruby and the others caught on quickly, their hands on their own weapons. "You fought quite well, Xiao Long," She said, her words like sweet poison as she clapped her hands. "I'll give you some credit where it is due; you have great potential within you, and your power just seems to have no end... much like-!"

" **LEAVE.** "

Raiden's aura suddenly roiled off of him like steam, not as spread out or as bursting, but much thicker and denser. Before where I would feel his anger, now I was nearly suffocated by it. 'What the hell is this!?' I thought as I staggered away, being caught by Ruby and Weiss. 'This... this is like... his own killing intent made manifest!' Through his clothes, I could see his markings glowing violently, though there was something on his back, a symbol that looked like **'** **死** **'.** I guessed that it was a Mistralian symbol, but something about it felt ominous and deadly. " **I'll repeat myself only once. You've already made your point that you don't like us, so leave before things get messy. And I mean RIGHT NOW.** " Kagome's face turned violent, and to my shock, she squared up with him. It was only then I realized how tall she was. She was barely an inch shorter than he was! What shocked me even more was the black, smog-like aura that started to waft off of her own body. Her eyes turned pure black as she stared him down, her teeth bared as black markings similar to Raiden's started to cover her face, arms and legs.

" **Who are you to tell me that I should leave?** " She asked, her voice reverberating through the docks and catching people's attention. " **I am Raiden, son of the strongest woman on the planet, friends and partners with the greatest people in the world. I'm not just the same person who nearly beat you within an inch of your life, I'm stronger and better than that.** " She wavered for a bit, a small gap in her confidence before something inside her snapped, a snarl on her face as her fist flashed out... aiming right at me. I didn't even have time to think as it suddenly stopped dead barely a hair's-width away from my face, nearly scaring the shit out of me. I realized that Raiden had caught her wrist just in time, thank God for that. " **So beautiful,** " She giggled, a demented smile on her face. " **I've never seen such a scared face before... it looks so delectable.** " She leaned in closer, her manic aura making me choke. " **I can't _wait_ to watch as you crumble under my feet!** " I grit my teeth and was about to fire back, until Raiden beat me to it, flicking his wrist and throwing her a few feet away from us with a sharp jab to her jaw.

" **You crossed the line this time Kagome,** " Raiden growled, the aura around him growing thicker. " **Now you PAY THE PRICE!** " He roared, stomping into the ground, his foot embedding into the floor before he launched himself at her. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Another voice bellowed, Professor Artorias suddenly appearing in front of Raiden and stopping his punch with an open palm, causing a powerful shockwave that blew people back. "Excuse me, but he's mine-!" Kagome started, before with a sudden flash of blue and silver light, the edge of a beautiful sword just appeared on her neck, causing her to stop dead in her tracks before hissing as if she was being burnt and leaping away. "I said..." He bellowed loudly, stabbing his blade into the ground, allowing me to have a good look at it. The edge of the sword was shining silver, while the base of the blade seemed to glow an enchanting twilight-blue. The hilt was finely made too, crafted from more silvery metal and curving up towards the point to make an effective hand-guard, with the long grip being wrapped in a black leather. 'That sword... is that his old one? It looks amazing!' I thought, staring at it for a while. "That is enough. Kagome Kuroken, I order you to leave now... or else I will take matters into my own hands," He said ominously, standing tall and really drawing attention.

Kagome's eyes darted around the place, as if she realized her mistake, taking one final glance at Artorias' sword, glaring at it and him before turning away with an angry huff. "...Sh-she started it!" I said to Artorias on instinct. He raised his hands, a relaxed look on his face. "I know that, I saw the whole thing. Are you alright?" He addressed to me and Raiden. I nodded and looked to Raiden, who was staring at Artorias with a mild look of shock on his face. "Boy, are you alright?" Artorias asked, an eyebrow raised in concern. "How did you manage to stop that punch so easily?" Artorias chuckled and held up the hand he used to stop the punch, his palm still steaming. "I'm much stronger than I look, I suppose," He chuckled, shrugging. "Team RWBY, go on ahead, I have a few words to share with Raiden. Professor Ciaran and Headmistress Goodwitch are right over there, so you'll be fine." I gave Raiden a worried look, to which he just smiled and pat my shoulder. "It's alright, you guys go. I'll be right behind you anyway." I gave him a quick hug before we started to go.

"Yang," Blake said calmly, a hand on my shoulder, "He'll be fine."

"Yeah, Raiden's super strong, and he didn't do anything wrong, right?" Ruby reassured me.

"He'll be able to handle himself," Weiss said, "I doubt that he'll run into any major issue with Professor Artorias."

I looked back one more time, seeing the two of them talking, getting an ominous feeling from the Deity and Raiden. 'I hope so...'

 **Raiden**

"So, Professor A, you needed to talk to me?" I asked as politely as possible. He nodded, gesturing with his head to walk with him. "I figured out part of why you're so incredibly strong, Raiden," He said quite casually, my body tensing up as my fists clenched. "What do you mean? Push-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice?" I tried to play it off. He laughed, his tall frame shaking with each laugh. "You're a comedic one, that is for sure. But no, that is not it. I can finally tell: you're blood is strong with that of a Deity, isn't it?" On that, I nearly froze, my eyes going wide. "Ever since your first confrontation with Kagome... hell, since I first _saw_ you, you radiated unfathomable strength and rage, more than any person your age should possess. It wasn't just born of your blood either, I can tell by the very way you act, you've been through things, possibly even done things which have inertly strengthened you for better or worse. Your true power can best some of the huntsman and professors in this school and in the field with ease, I know that much. So tell me, am I correct?"

I could only be silent for a while before I looked at him, still struggling to get words out of my mouth. "H-how...?"

"It is because of what you've done," He said simply, looking at me with dark-blue eyes, a sympathetic look on his face. "You have done things which you regret, things which will forever weigh upon your back and drag you down, and you feel as if you must carry that burden as punishment." He was absolutely right. He may not have known what I did after I was banished, but still. "...Why are you telling me this now?" I asked, hanging my head, trying to cover up my tears. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder, the warmth of it making me look up at him. "Because... firstly, I know how that feels. After all... I'm the same as your father," He chuckled, raising a hand and letting his midnight-aura swirl around it. In that brief moment, I felt the raw power that he held within him. Not as strong as dad, but the way it felt... he was a Deity as well, no doubt, and an ancient one to boot.

"Secondly," He started, getting serious, "Something is coming, something bigger than you mortals have ever faced before. Team RWBY knows it in the back of their minds, and you can just feel it, can you? You might not know it consciously, but you can feel the tension in the air. I'm under orders from Ozpin to say nothing, but I'll simply say this: be on your guard. Something is going to happen during this Festival, something that will affect the world itself." Again, he was right. There was always this feeling of something tense in the air, more than just the excitement of the Tournament. "So do you have any questions?" I paused for a bit, thinking about what to ask. 'If he could somehow sense that I have Deity-blood running through me, I might find a way to suppress it.'

"How did you figure out my heritage?" I asked. "To be honest, it was only once you use that strange technique of yours a handful of seconds ago, where your aura began to condense. Only then could I feel your heritage. However... what was that technique? I saw an eastern symbol appear on your back, and I could feel your emotions."

"It's... something I developed right after I was Banished," I said lowly, looking away shamefully. I didn't even know that I tapped into the hidden potential of my Killer Intent. Mixing it with my semblance was an insanely bad idea, and I nearly lost control over myself when I attacked Kagome much like when I... never mind. "Anything else?" He asked, taking my mind off of that, thankfully. "Well, for one thing, who are you?" Artorias quickly and subtly looked around the area, ensuring there were few people to hear him. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did not believe me, but... I am Artorias the Wolf-Knight, also known as the Abysswalker if that helps." I couldn't help myself but I stared at him with wide eyes. "The same guy who managed to slay Lord Grimm himself?" His expression darkened and turned sad as his looked at one of his... very scarred hands. "Yes... though I didn't kill him. If I actually succeeded, then the world may be a better place." Doing my best to take his mind off of his past and smiled and held out a hand.

"Well... it's a pleasure to meet you, Professor A." His face grew enlightened as he shook my hand firmly. "Call me Professor Artorias for now, since we seem to have very sparse company. So, if I may ask, who is your father? I haven't heard of any other Deities here besides your father, though I wasn't told of his name." I hesitated before saying, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to say." To my surprise, he nodded respectfully, holding a hand up. "Worry not, it's your choice to say, and I will not force it from you." I looked at him again with a bit of awe. "You know, I imagined you'd be a lot more intimidating and scary," I said with a small smile, to which he raised an eyebrow. "What, do the stories depict me as a raging knight?" I shrugged. "More of a berserk wolf, really." He bellowed with laughter again, patting me on the back. "Well..." He sighed, "They are not too far off, in some cases."

 **Kikoken**

I patiently sipped on my coffee as the doors to the small airship opened, team RWBY walking out. I was curious when I saw that Raiden wasn't with them, and then worried when I saw Headmistress Goodwitch and Professor Ciara escort them out, bidding them a farewell with what sounded like several stern words. I walked up to them, casually asking, "Hey, how did it go? I missed the live-stream, sorry about that." Ruby was the first one to respond cheerfully, though it felt a bit forced. "Yup, we won pretty easily!" Weiss backed her up, a hand on her shoulder. "Consider it a combination of my tactical thinking and Ruby's... rather colorful battle plans during the match." I laughed and pat the small girl on the head, earning a more Ruby-like grin from her. "Guys, I'll just be in the training-room," Yang said as she walked by me, barely sparing her team a glance. "Call me in case something comes up, alright?" The way she said it made me worry, and it seemed like the others sensed it, especially Blake. I sighed and asked, "Alright, what happened?" Blake was the first to speak up, saying, "Kagome was waiting for us at the exit. She attacked Yang, and things could have gotten messy if it weren't for Raiden and Professor A stepping in. I think Yang kinda took a hit to her pride."

'A hit to her pride?' I thought as I watched the golden-haired fighter walk away. 'No, if Kagome attacked her openly, she must've done something to really mess with her head, knowing that black-haired bitch.' I breathed in and out, calming myself. "I'll talk to her. If it's Kagome who attacked her, then I've got a few things to say to her," I said, quickly walking towards her. I tried my best to keep it discreet, staying out of her line of sight in the case that she turned around to check behind her. She didn't. She just kept her hands in her pockets, her head down for most of the time besides when she greeted people who were congratulating her on her recent win. Even then, she seemed not as cheerful as she'd normally be, giving a quick small smile and a shake of the hand before going off. As I followed her, I saw her go inside Beacon's Training Room. It wasn't as big or as well-equipped as Haven's, but it was still one of the best 'gyms' in the world, still big enough to house several hundred people, stocked with high-brand weights, a boxing ring, mats, punching-bags, the works. Hiding behind a wall, I waited for Yang to come out of the women's room.

When she did, she was wearing her black shorts with a yellow sports-bra on, red worn-out boxing gloves on her fists and her hair done in a messy ponytail. She walked over to one of the bigger, thicker-looking bags, putting her fists up and starting to box. It wasn't just her going through the motions, either; she was practically trying to tear through the bag, each punch echoing through the building like a shotgun-blast. Then, that's when I saw the look on her face. She was angry, frustrated, and most importantly, crying. Her teeth were bared as she wildly swung at the bag, a right hook exploding into the leather with a ***BANG*** , the bag nearly flying into the air. Considering that the insides were filled with stuffing and roughly two-hundred pounds of padded weights in the center, that was some serious power she was packing without even using aura. A straight rocketed into the bag as it came down, another bang echoing. Her body compact, she threw her left-hook into the bag this time, an audible ***RRIIIP*** being heard as a small bit of stuffing flew through the air. Finally, she kept her guard tight as she weaved in a figure-eight motion, fire trailing off of her as her aura spiked just slightly.

Then, she twisted her body as she weaved into the bag, a right hook exploding into the bag with another ***BANG*.** Weaving back seamlessly, her left followed next, yet another ***BANG*** following. And she kept at it, a barrage of left and right hooks mercilessly slamming into the bag, sounding like a rapid-fire shotgun with the constant ***BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG*** noises. I couldn't help but stare in awe at the raw power she was displaying, the bag being thrown around like it weighed nothing for what I counted being well over one minute. She paused briefly after her hundredth left hook, opening her mouth and roaring, " _ **RAAAAAAGH**_!" As she finished it with one final right hook, literally tearing the _entire_ bag in half right through the middle, the weights and what was left of the bag torn off of its hinge, flying through the air and slamming into the wall... and that was well over ten meters away. Then, she collapsed to her knees, her body noticeably sweaty as her breath came out in pants, sweat and what I'm sure were tears dripping from her face.

It was then I decided to walk up to her, hands in my pockets as I tried a casual approach. "Y'know, that's a pretty sick move with a lot of destructive power," I said with a grin, "But it's more of a move you use inside an opponent's guard, isn't it? Someone would just have to step back a bit and then counter it with a right while you're still moving forward." Flinching slightly, I saw her quickly wipe her eyes before looking at me. "What are you doing here?" She asked, though she wasn't being aggressive in any way, just curious. "I heard about what had happened between you and Kagome," I replied, sitting down cross-legged next to her. "You alright?" She decided to cool off a bit too, taking off her gloves and sitting with a leg splayed out. "Y-yeah... I'm just... kinda freaked out and mad at myself."

"Mad at yourself?" I asked, confused. "I get being freaked out, she does that to people sometimes, but why yourself?"

Yang thought for a bit, trying to find her words before she answered. "It's... she made me feel so weak. Powerless and defenseless in that one moment where she nearly hit me. I've gotten so much stronger than I thought possible thanks to your brother, but... I feel like it isn't enough or it'll never even _be_ enough, especially against her, and the thought of that just... UGH!" She slammed her fist with a loud ***THUD*** into the floor, a few more tears spilling from her eyes. I laid a hand on her shoulder, lending her a small smile. "So basically, she made you feel weak, right?" Yang nodded, still looking down. "Then tell me, who was the girl that, even though she lost, still gave Kagome a run for her money, huh?" Yang looked at me, her eyes slowly fading into lilac. "M-me?"

"Damn right it was you!" I shouted, feeling a bit hyped. "Even then, you weren't as strong as you are now. I mean, look at you! You just destroyed that bag while you barely used aura. Hell, even I couldn't do that, and I'm _sure as hell_ no slouch when it comes to destructive power with my own semblance. Tell me, do you think that Kagome trains as hard as you do? To answer that, hell no she doesn't. That being said, should you just ignore the fact that she attacked you?" Yang thought for a minute before answering solidly, "No." I grinned and shot up, my fists clenched. "Right again! For you, think of it as a challenge from her, and now, meet it head-on without holding back. Let her know that you're ready to fire right back twice as hard! That's your semblance, isn't it? Show her who you are; you are Yang Xiao Long, and you're not gonna let someone like Kagome keep you down, you'll get right back up!" I shouted, shooting my index-finger into the air before realizing that I got a bit... over-hyped. Feeling my face heat up, I sat back down again. "S-sorry. I get a bit hyped up when it comes to trying to help someone."

Yang smiled a genuine smile before giggling a bit, a hand on her mouth. "Thank you, Kiko, that really helped me," She said, holding out a closed fist. I smirked and bumped my knuckles on hers. "Hey, don't mention it. Girls gotta look out for each other after all. Besides..." I grinned a bit wider to the point where it could be classified as a, and I quote, 'Big Shit-Eating Grin', "I admit that I enjoy how happy you are with my brother." Yang burst into laughter, her cheeks just a slight shade of pink. "Pfft, ha-ha-ha-ha! Wow, going right for my weak-spots, huh?" She said, a much more Yang-like face on her now. "I'll be honest... yeah, he's great." I raised my eyebrows as my shit-eating grin grew even wider as I saw her cheeks go just a bit darker. " _Just_ great?" Her smile turned a bit shyer as her eyes drifted away from me. "Fine, he's... more than great," She said slowly, a slight dreamy sigh in her voice. "Is that really it?" I asked one more time, testing my luck. She looked at me with a raised brow. "Why are you asking me this? Do you see him as more than great?" I felt my face scrunch up in disgust as I said, "Hell no! What do you think this is, a bad Fanfiction made by some horny thirteen year-old?"

If I thought I knew hysterical laughter before, it had nothing on Yang absolutely losing it. She was practically dying, rolling around on the floor as tears flowed from her eyes, her hands clutching her stomach as her laughs echoed through the gym once again. "H-horny thirteen... ah-ha-ha-hah! Oh Gods, you're killing me!" She cackled, her body heaving for air as she slapped her hand on the floor. I smirked and flipped my hair, saying, "You thought you were the only one with good jokes, but then there was I, Kikoken!" After a while, Yang managed to partially calm down, her breaths still partially labored as she slowly got up. "Well, I'm not exactly done here, and I wouldn't mind if you joined me for a quick workout," She said with a smile, holding her hand out to me. I grabbed on and let her lift me up with ease before I brushed myself off, taking out my scroll and dialing for my locker.

"Why the locker?" She asked, her arms crossed under her impressive bust (one I have to admit I was just _slightly_ jealous of). "I didn't bring any work-out clothes with me, and they're in my locker. Now's a good time to have a workout anyway, been a while since I had a good one," I replied while I tapped the area outside the gym on the display. Might as well not let it crash on the roof or even through the building, right? "Fair enough. I'll be working on the other bags while you wait, just join in whenever you feel like it. And Kiko?" I looked up curiously as her tone suddenly changed. "Thank you." I smiled and punched her shoulder lightly. "Like I said before, don't mention it. And keep smiling Yang, Raiden thinks it looks good on you."

"...huh?"

 **Ciaran**

"I worry highly for what Kagome's actions will be during the upcoming tournament," Glynda said, swiping through her scroll and reading through what looked like Kagome's file, most of the information blotted out and censored. "Her actions have started to get out of control, and with the council being unable to take Ozpin seriously thanks to that _thick-skulled General_ ," she said with grinding teeth, "We can't even put her in some form of proper punishment. Not to mention, her clashes with Raiden and Yang..."

"Things will get very, very messy in that regard," I agreed. "However, I think that Kagome has been overestimating herself, rather than underestimating her opponents. She understands the threats quite clearly, but she's far too overconfident in her own abilities. Even if she does end up doing something drastic, she'll be blindsided by something that she will never expect." Glynda looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You sound quite experienced in that topic." I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked away, embarrassed. "Well... I _may_ have been through a similar phase of admiring my own strength at one point in the past. Artorias was the one to... rather forcefully snap me out of it, something which I'm still thankful for to this day." Again the Headmistress's curiosity grew as she asked, "Forcefully? _Artorias?_ Your brother Ornstein sounds more like the kind of person who would do that, not someone as gentle and as sweet as Artorias."

I chuckled and brought out my own scroll, smiling as I idly went through some of the newer pictures which we took together while we were in Vale. "It wasn't love at first sight, quite the opposite actually."

"Really? Do tell, this seems very interesting," Glynda said, a light smirk on her face as we walked back to Ozpin's tower. "Indeed, we absolutely hated each other at first. I thought he was a barbarian who knew nothing but swinging his sword endlessly, mindlessly even. He thought of me as a highly self-centered person who thought of everyone besides our Lord to be beneath me (especially humans), and he wasn't wrong. You'd be surprised to find out I was more like my brother back in the past." Looking as Glynda's dumbfounded expression made me laugh. Seeing the normally stone-faced woman with such a look was quite rare, and when it did happen, it tended to be quite the spectacle for me. "Anyway, it all came to a boiling-point after about one year of working together. He challenged me to a fight, I accepted... and I lost _badly_. He was far more skilled than I originally thought him to be, and when I fought him, my own pompous nature and my talent was virtually nothing before the storm of his emotions put into his strikes." I couldn't help but be overcome with powerful nostalgia as I thought back to that day; he really did utterly best me, and it was for the best.

"After that," I said after a few seconds of reminiscing, "We eventually became closer and closer. He taught me how to be humble, and how to see everyone as an equal, even humans. I started to see him in a newer light, a kind, warmhearted and passionate person, and saw me in a new image as well. It still took us a while for us to eventually come to... love each other," I couldn't help but smile giddily as a warm feeling blossomed in my chest. "I assume that he came to you first?" She asked, highly amused. "Yes... yes he did," I replied. "Though... I didn't instantly reciprocate those feelings. I more or less ran when he confessed and left him in the dark, thinking that I still disliked him, and one day later I find him near death after fighting recklessly, which was compelling enough for me to tell him my own feelings in a panic, thinking he was dying. In short, it was... complicated."

We both shared a laugh as we went up the elevator into the teacher's and professor's lounge, complete with lavish sofas, a large television-screen and most importantly, a coffee machine. I couldn't help myself as I dashed towards it, quickly placing a cup under the dispenser and pressing my desired buttons. Seconds later, the steaming hot aromatic liquid flowed into the cup, to which I greedily took it and sipped it, my eyes closing and my body relaxing as the beverage warmed me up nicely. 'Not as good as Artorias, but a close second,' I thought with a grin as I caught my breath. "I'm honestly surprised that you and Ozpin aren't best friends already," Glynda said sarcastically, taking out a bottle of water from that strange Ice-chest known as a 'fridge'. "The man drinks so much coffee that I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he can't sleep." Thinking about that for a moment, I turned to her, my own curiosity spiking up. "Glynda... what is your relationship with Ozpin like?"

"Well, contrary to what you might think, we are not romantically invested with each other," She said with another small smirk. "Though, we _do_ treat each other nicely. Ozpin has always been a bit of... a goal, shall I say. He's done so much for Vale, hell, Remnant itself, and people don't even know it, myself included. Does that answer your question?" I thought for a few seconds before I sat down next to her, nodding. "Yes, I think it does. Anyway, looming threat and internal dilemma's aside," I said, lighting up the mood as best as I could. "I'm quite astounded to see so many skilled warriors whom are so young and talented! I see so much potential within all of them, combat-wise at least, and it interests me to see that ordinary humans can reach such heights of power." Glynda casually used her semblance on her bottle, idly twirling it in the air. "Well, aura does tend to raise one's physical capabilities," She replied.

"Aura aside," A new voice entered, nearly making me jump up before I realized that it was just Rei who just came in, "I too am impressed with the level of skill being displayed by some of the students, namely Team Ruby and Juniper. It's almost shocking really, how fast their progress is, wouldn't you agree Glynda?" She flipped her glossy black hair aside with a grin as she plopped down on the other side of Glynda. "It is true that they're the two teams in the first-years which have made such astounding progress, and if we're being honest, even Arc has managed to keep pace and hold his own in combat now. Rose is becoming a better leader day by day, and Xiao Long has been constantly surpassing her limits, no thanks to your son of course," She said pointedly. Rei shrugged, an innocent smile on her face. "Blame it on me, it's something I've taught him since he was a kid, and while I didn't expect him to go and teach someone, I'm not stopping it. Besides..." Her voice turned a bit serious and sadder, "Our older generation of Hunters and Huntresses will not be able to keep the _real_ threats out there at bay forever, considering there are very few people in the world who are as strong or are stronger than I am. Our flag-bearers are gonna have to step up to the plate quite soon, and they will need to be stronger than ever."

On instinct, I placed a hand on her shoulder (which was a bit awkward due to me having to loop around Glynda's shoulders), giving her my most reassuring look. "Rei... I may not know much about you, or much about the world me and my comrades have been thrown into, but from what I see, I think that with people like you, your children, and a simple soul such as Ruby out there, we may never have to worry about a dark future for this world." I clenched my free hand tightly, looking at it as my heart began to swell. "Even if this is not my era or my home, I will fight to the death along-side good people like them to keep this happiness and peace, and I'll do my best to help them along the way. I'm a Deity, and though I am not the strongest, I have something to protect! Even better, I have people like you standing shoulder to shoulder to protect this world!" I turned back to Rei, a determined look on my face. "So do not worry Rei Ryuka. Your... no, _our_ future is in good hands."

Rei smiled brightly at me before saying, "Wow... are all the good Deities this passionate about things?" I grinned shyly and looked away, a light heat warming my face. "Well... some of us are _quite_ passionate." Rei's face split into a massive grin as she leaped over Glynda and sat next to me, an eyebrow raised. "Ooh, you're talking about Artorias, aren't you? Let me guess, his size is proportionate to his... ahem, manhood." I buried my face in my hands, doing my best to hide how red it had most likely become. "H-how do you know that?" I squeaked sightly, embarrassed to no end. Rei leaned back, and I could still feel the strength of her smile in her voice. "My own husband is just a bit shorter than him, about Ornstein's height, and believe me, I know. Two kids, remember? Hey. come to think about it... technically speaking, you're younger than both Glynda and I, you look about twenty-one at most, not to mention you're literally cherry-red, meaning that either you and Arty haven't gotten _down and dirty_ for a LONG time, or you two go at it VERY frequently. Which one?"

"...I-it has been some time..." I muttered.

"See? That probably means you're about as pent-up as he is! And, coming from experience, you haven't gotten your 'field plowed' by him all that much, haven't you? Probably twice or three times at most." I curled up into a ball and managed to say, "T-twice." Rei laughed and pat my back while Glynda gently rubbed my shoulder. "There, there, you'll only have to endure her for a bit longer," The blonde whispered. "I have to say though," Rei said, probably still smiling, "You two should probably go at it again before he starts to get too pent up. Hell, once, my husband and I tried not to go at it for a year, and believe me, after that much time when we finally did do it, we couldn't walk for a day. Still worth it though." I tried to curl up just a bit further, hoping that I would die and my body would wither away from the sheer embarrassment I was feeling. "Y-you are such a vulgar person!" I tried to reprimand her, to which she only ended up laughing.

"Says the woman who's practically itching to grab her lover and throw him down before having steamy, hot-!" I groaned loudly and covered my ears as I rolled over into Glynda's lap, letting her comfort me from the terrors of Rei Ryuka's words. 'She isn't wrong though,' I thought in the back of my mind. In the front of it, however, was heavy with thoughts of embarrassment and _maybe_ a hint of Artorias there. 'She might not be wrong, but she is still vulgar.'

* * *

 **(A.N: Hey guys... so, I want to apologize for the late chapter release a week later than what I intended, and I'm sorry about that. Just after my exams finished, my computer ran into some problems and it was unavailable until today. I know the chapter is a bit short, but for what it's worth, I hope it's good. Peace out!)**


	18. Claire's new technique? Enter Qrow!

**(A.N: Hello once again people, and once again I apologize for my lateness. Things have been pretty… hectic since the end of exams, but enough of that, I'll explain more when this chapter's over. RWBY, Dragon Ball Franchise, Asura's Wrath and any other references here belong to their respective owners, whilst I only own my O.C's. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **[Into the Dark]**

 **[Chapter 17]**

 **A weapon to surpass the Time-Skip!?**

 **A look behind the curtains...**

* * *

 **Raiden**

"So... how was she?" I asked, more or less worried out of my mind for Yang since the confrontation between her and Kagome. Seriously, she may look calm and collected most of the time, but in reality, she could also be seriously messed up when it came to intimidation. It had been almost three days since then, and I didn't get to talk to Yang all that much, what with my own team to take care of, devising strategies for the matches and training myself. Training Yang _now_ was out of the question: my kind of training involved long, high pace and brutal sparring sessions, and I didn't want to wear the blonde dragon out during the tournament, whereas I was accustomed to that level of exertion.

Kiko being Kiko, laughed and punched me in the arm. "Rai, calm down. Yang's doing just fine, especially since I gave her that pep-talk while you were occupied with Professor A." She leaned in close and grinned, and eyebrow raised. "You really have the hots for her, don't you?" I rolled my eyes and smirked, putting my hands in my pockets. "There's no denying she's definitely something..." I trailed off a bit before shaking my head, focusing back on the real topic at hand. "But, you're sure that she's alright?" Kiko groaned and put her hands on her face. "Bro, she's fine. Come to think about it, she's also been kinda missing you for a while. She enjoys your company, you know that?" She way she said it made it sound like she was trying to hint at something, but what was at the forefront of my mind was, "Wait, she's... missing me?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat for some reason.

"You two have become closely acquainted over the past few months," Claire said sagely. "I am not surprised that either of you have become very used to each other over that time." I shrugged, thinking about... well, how nice it felt to be genuinely missed by someone whom isn't your family. "Yup! Dude, it's obvious you like her, just ask her out as soon as the tournament is done," Oro said, putting a thumbs up. "We all know that she's practically... hell, she's _literally_ the polar opposite of Kagome, and you two practically hit it off on day one!" I sighed and let myself smile at the thought of that for a few seconds. Me, Yang, a nice homely restaurant most likely being spied on by both of our teams. It sounded nice. "Well," I said after a while, "I'll keep that it mind you guys. But for now, we have the tournament to focus on. Claire, Kiko, you two are up this time."

Kiko smirked and pounded her fists together while Claire raised an eyebrow. "Not to object Raiden-san, but we are still in the Four Versus Four rounds. Do you think that just one of us girls are unable to finish those mediocrely-skilled... chumps?"

"No, that's not it," I said reassuringly. "I know that you can both hold your own and whoop ass easily, but we need to gain more of the crowd's cheers. One-shotting people is only exciting for so long before it gets too repetitive. We need to show them something... fancy. Something that you two," I pointed to the respective girls. "Are able to do fantastically, especially when you work together, which is exactly what I'm aiming for. You up for it?" Kiko and Claire looked at each other with smirks before looking back at me and bumping fists.

"Consider it done," Claire said.

"Piece of Cake," Kiko laughed, crossing her arms defiantly (and awkwardly, that chest-guard of hers made it look _really_ uncomfortable).

"Alright, that's good," I said. "Remember, now we're going for a crowd-pleaser this round. Don't kill anyone, but spice it up." Claire grinned a bit wider, sharing a knowing look with Oro who winked at her. "Believe me, Oro was not the only one to gain a new skill while we were separated. I've finally managed to use _it._ " I raised my eyebrows in surprise at that. If she was talking about the technique which I thought she was talking about... "Really? Didn't that take your master _years_ to even _come up_ with? Hell, and that's not even counting the time it took for him to actually learn and apply it!" She brushed her teal hair behind her right ear before her eyes glowed softly. "Consider it something that I've been trying to do since I was a child. Why do you think I honed my Auric-Observation Skill to a level even higher than yours?"

I sighed and shook my head. ' _I'm surrounded by monsters,_ ' I thought with a chuckle. "Well, if that's the case, then please don't kill anyone with it. Oh, and remember not to use your aura when you hit someone's pressure-points! We don't want to have you disqualified, obviously."

"Please, I know my own strength," She replied, holding up her hand which had her aura flowing around it like unsettled liquid. "Calm water may eventually be overcome by a raging stream, but that doesn't mean that you still can't be overwhelmed in it." I smirked and held my fist out, our knuckles connecting. "Good. However, if things _do_ somehow get hectic, you have my permission to hold back a bit _less_." Kiko shrugged before pulling out her Twin-Blade 'Impact'. "I dunno... it's been a while since I got to use Impact's 'other' form." Sighing, I waved my hands into the air. "Fine, fine. But you can only fire it five times and _only_ five."

"But-!"

"FIVE. TIMES." I stated solidly. "Or else I'll have you do one-thousand pushups." Kiko raised her eyebrow. "...That's it? Sure, that ain't too bad." I grinned evilly and finished, "While Oro sits on your back and Claire temporarily removes your semblance." She turned a bit pale as Oro burst into laughter and Claire stifled a giggle. "You wouldn't _dare_ ," She breathed.

"But I just _did_ though."

She ground her teeth and huffed, "Fine. I promise I'll only fire her off five times... but did you _have_ to include Oro sitting on my back?"

"Yes. Yes I did."

She punched me in the shoulder with a sharp, "Asshat."

"Love you too sis."

 **Ruby**

"I can't wait to see what Raiden's got in store for us!" I squealed in excitement. "What do you think he's gonna pull this time?" Weiss sighed and picked at her nails, looking pretty bored with half-lidded eyes. "Well, knowing his team, they'll either utterly destroy them in a single hit... or they'll utterly destroy them in a single hit." I raised a brow, confused at what she said. "You just repeated yourself."

"Exactly."

I thought about it for a moment before agreeing, "Huh, fair point."

"Instantly destroying someone can only be entertaining for so long," Blake agreed as well, lightly tapping her finger and looking at the tunnels patiently. "Come on, it _is_ pretty funny to see the other team crap themselves before they get K.O'ed," Yang butt in . "That's... also a fair point," Weiss conceded. "But even then, it still gets tedious after some time."

"Yup, that's exactly what's gonna change this match," Raiden suddenly came into the conversation, sitting to Yang's right. "Oh, hey Raiden!" Yang and I greeted. "Hey, what about me?" Oro said with a cheeky grin as he launched himself into his seat. It took me a couple of seconds before I realised something was off, though Blake beat me to it. "Hold on, why aren't you two with your team? Your match starts in five minutes!" Raiden grinned and whipped out his scroll, showing us a page of what looked like the 'Official Vital Festival Tournament Rules.'

"Well, according to the rule... 67, so long as one team-member is up to fight in the case that the other three are either unable or unwilling to fight, that entire team is still able to move into the next rounds so long as that person, or in this case, people, win," He finished, pointing at said rule. "Basically, it means that you can put only one person in charge of fighting the entire tournament if they wanted to."

Yang stared at it for a few seconds before nodding. "Seems legit to me. Makes me wonder if that situation happened before, or if they added that in just in case?" She wondered aloud. "Yup! It happened back in the Fourth Vital Tournament back in Mistral, when only one member could participate because the other three tried (and failed) to cook puffer-fish. Got food-poisoning for weeks, poor guys," Oro said, surprising me at how mature he seemed all of a sudden. "Oro's bummed out because he made the same mistake back in Haven," Raiden chuckled, earning a pout from Oro, his tail lightly smacking him in the cheek. "Dude," he whispered loudly, "Not cool."

I couldn't help but just laugh hysterically at the image of Oro curled up on the floor after eating bad food, Blake, Weiss and Yang joining in for a while. After we calmed down, Weiss asked, "Bad culinary skills aside, what did you mean when you said that 'things were going to change this match'?" He smirked and leaned back, with a simple, "You'll see. Oh, and funnily enough, Oro's actually the official Team Cook. Seriously, you should see him whip up something other than puffer-fish." Oro puffed his massive chest up even more in pride.

"I'm thinking of starting a restaurant when I get older," He said confidently. "My food's some of the best in the world, you can count on that!" Weiss made a small 'hmm' sound and stared at him. "Oh, you're that confident in your own cooking? You overestimate yourself when I'm around. I bet I can cook better than you!" She challenged boldly. "Fine then, you're on Princess! Name the time and the place, and I cook my heart out against you!"

While that was going on, I caught a few words exchanged between Raiden and Yang. "So, um... are you doing okay?" He asked, sounding nervous and worried. Yang returned a look that honestly startled me; her expression turned soft and her smile was gentle, something I've only ever seen her do during the time when dad shut down due to mom's death and she was taking care of me. "Rai, don't worry about me, I'm doing fine." He visibly relaxed as he nodded. "That's good... heh, wow, it feels like it's been a while since we talked."

"I know right? Granted, it's been... what, three days?" Yang laughed softly, her cheeks a bit pinkish. "Well, I'm just glad you're alright. And, I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk or train with you, I've been really busy." Yang waved her hands dismissively, still smiling. "Nah, don't worry about that. You've got a life outside of training with me, and I don't mind. If I can ask, what have you been doing?"

"Oh," He answered casually, "Just a lot of training. Physically, Auric, Mental, all that jazz. I'm guessing you're still in shape?" He joked. Yang raised a brow and grinned. 'Oh boy, here we go,' I thought. "Does it look like I'm in good shape?" For a split second Raiden looked flustered before he returned the look with a smooth, "Yang, you're _always_ in good shape." She turned red and covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. 'Wow, I don't think I'll be able to get over how quickly he can turn the tables on Yang's words,' I thought with wide eyes. 'Not to mention getting Yang to blush!' My thoughts were cut off as once again Miss Ryuka's voice boomed through the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have another special match-up for you! First up, we have a fan-favourite hailing from Vacuo, the all girl Team NDGO!" People broke into cheers for them as they walked out, all armed quite lightly with a spear here, a crossbow there and a few throwing knives if I was looking closely enough. They waved as blew kisses at the crowd, again earning more cheering and even a few posters of their faces were being lifted up. "Next up, currently known as the 'Four Monsters of Beacon', we have team ROCK! Except this time, the number's been cut from four to two..."

Still people cheered, myself included this time as Kiko and Claire walked out with confidence radiating off of them (of course, Oro was roaring for Claire). Though, when I looked closer at Kiko... "IS THAT A _RAILGUN_!?" I squealed in excitement. Yang had to hold me down as I nearly jumped out of my seat. Any kind of railgun today was pretty much considered to be the love-child of two WMD's, or Weapons of Mass Destruction with what they could do, and that was just with normal ammunition. With dust ammunition, these things could level small towns, from Fire-Dust setting entire mountains aflame to Water-Dust creating lakes. The kind that Kiko was holding though was similar to a sniper-rifle type hilt with what looked to be the barrel split down the centre revealing the intricate linings of dust-conductive metals (as all of them look like), but in its core at the centre of the gun above where the trigger was, I could see the telltale glow of Gravity-Dust.

"Kiko built that herself," Raiden said both with pride and annoyance. "But she tends to get _reeeally_ trigger-happy with it whenever she busts it out. Hopefully Claire should talk a bit of sense into her before she goes crazy with it." Staring at it for a bit longer, I wondered where she even got the parts to build something that powerful. "How did she even find the parts to build it? That stuff is _Mistralian Black-market level_ rare," Yang asked my question before I did. Raiden grinned and leaned in. "Just between my and you guys," He whispered, "She _did_ make some of the parts on her own, but the rest of them... well, let's just say I've got a good connection in the Black Market back at home." Weiss and Blake looked surprisingly unsurprised while Yang's face contorted into a giant evil grin.

That being said, I leaned in over Yang and whispered, "Do you think you can get us some stuff from there?"

 **Claire**

Breathing in and out calmly, I observed our opponents in front of us, taking in all of their armour, weaponry and stances. "Hey," One of the called to me, "You're the one with the cute Monkey-Faunus boyfriend, right?" I nodded, getting a bit defensive. "Do you think you can share him with us?" She all laughed and glanced up to where Oro was sitting, though he was still to busy cheering for me to notice. Relaxing, I let myself smile lightly and retort, "Normally I'd say no, but... if I lose, you can have him for a week." Kiko laughed as she checked her ammunition on Impact, aiming down the sights and checking again. "You're willing to bet Oro for that?" She asked, finally placing the gun on her shoulder. "Of course, because we won't lose," I replied simply, putting my weapons together and turning it into its final form.

By putting the bottoms of Aqua and Marine together, the blade underneath slid inside the grip and therefore extended the full length of the blade to about two feet, resulting in a short, blue-hued ninjato blade. Soon, the random terrain generator popped up, one side of the arena turning to Vacuan Desert, the other becoming a watery expanse with sandbars here and there, an entire wrecked ship actually ready on it. 'How did they get an entire ship ready for this...?' I thought. "Fighters, prepare yourselves in..."

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Begin!" Without hesitation I yelled, "Kiko, Blue Impact!" She grinned and opened fire right at them. Just as the purple streak of energy left the barrel, I stopped it dead in its tracks with my semblance and stabbed my blade into it, coating it in the same destructive energy. 'Five seconds before it explodes.' I thought as I rushed forward and dodging bullets being shot at me with quick and precise Flash-Steps. As soon as I was a couple meters from them, I leaped into the air high and slashed down at them, a purple and teal blade of energy crashing down with enough massive crushing force to take out half the centre, scattering them. "Claire, you take the green-dressed one away, I can handle the other three!" Kiko shouted with a thumbs up. I nodded as I landed smoothly, rushing towards Dew. Taking no time to spare, I put Oceana (my sword... what, you thought I would name it 'Aquamarine' just because I slapped them together?) in a built-in sheathe on the back of my coat and Time-Skipped, the world grinding to a halt as I leaped up and nailed her with a clean flying side-kick to her face.

"Time flows once more..." I breathed, Dew's expression changing to shock as she was slammed into the sandy ground several meters away. Kiko took her own chance and transformed Impact back into its Twinblade form, roaring as she rushed headlong into battle, pushing the three of them back to the edge of the watery biome. Focusing back on Dew, my eyes narrowed as I felt her rather large amount of aura. Not too much was being output into our surroundings, but still... "So, did my joke about your boyfriend sting that much?" She chuckled, standing quickly and pointing a brass spear at me. 'That stance... if the spear wasn't a dead giveaway, then this definitely should be. She's a ranged fighter, so I need to step in!' My legs tensing, I dashed right into the spearhead, catching her off guard before she thrust forward, her form perfect as it slid off my shoulder. I crouched as she swung the shaft at my head, sweeping her feet from underneath her before leaping up to land another strike on her jaw.

Her ability to right herself midair was almost scarily unnatural, but I brushed it off and went for the offensive once more. 'Get inside of her reach, and she'll have a hard time being able to fight back with such a long weapon,' I thought. I quickly unsheathed Oceana with a downward cut, her first reaction being to get out of the way as I cut clean through the red sandstone of a cliff-face. She quickly thrust her spear out again, aura quickly channeled to my wrist as I parried the blow, and the rapid ten other stabs that followed soon-after with a constant * **CLANG-CLANG-CLANG** *. I narrowed my eyes and activated my Observation, quickly picking up on how her wrist would twitch slightly before she attacked. The second she tried to attack again, I quickly leaped over her stab, bouncing off the wall of sandstone as my blade whistled down at her head. Quickly, she raised her spear lengthwise to block an attack that was never truly coming as I crouched and swung my leg wide, sweeping her off of her feet. 'Now!' I thought as I sprung up to deliver a critical strike.

She caught my completely off guard when a strong blast of air sent me flying away, landing on top of a sandy hill. Shooting into a crouch, I watched her carefully as she darted back at me like she hadn't been swept off of her feet mere moments ago. 'Semblance?' I thought right before she thrust her spear forward again, an entire tornado shot my way. 'Semblance,' I agreed with myself as I leaped away, the powerful winds tearing the small hill apart with ease. As soon as I landed, she blasted me with another tornado, giving me no time to recover as I instinctively dodged again. This time, she strode forward with her spear spinning in a blurring figure-eight, forcing me to take out my weapon to parry and block her strikes. 'The weakness of a figure eight... is its center!' I thought as I quickly back-stepped before thrusting Oceana right at her hands. She saw what I was about to do and pivoted right out of the way, swinging this time at my body. Once again I dodged, leaping clean over it... and right into her tornado.

The winds picked my light frame up with ease, trapping me in an ever-moving cage as my body slammed into the ground and across the sides of some mountains, disorienting me. In terms of physical resistance, I... had some brushing up to do. Even with great aura control, pain still registers. "You're pretty skilled," Dew called up with a smirk, "But you don't have a chance of breaking free from my Cyclone Control without any footing. Even that Sky-Step Technique of yours won't be strong enough to escape!" Realizing that she was right, I decided that now would probably be a good time to use it. Using my semblance, while seemingly at the cost of little aura, drained _stamina_ , one of the most important aspects of combat. If you were too tired to even lift your arms, what chance do you have of winning? Looking at her with 'Observation' and trying to identify her strength, something strange happened; numbers began to randomly float into my vision around her, as if it was calculating... 'Power...Level? 1,054... it's just like Raiden's old scouter! ' I shook my head, focusing and readying myself for what I had planned. 'That's a discovery for another time. Now, back onto beating this opponent!'

Breathing in deeply, I channeled aura into the very tips of my fingers before stabbing them right into my ribs, hitting special pressure-points. Within seconds, my aura was billowing around me, small stings of pain lancing through me as my soul produced as much aura as I needed to pull this off. 'Become the very definition of nothingness,' I thought as my body began to feel even lighter, the speeding winds feeling like they were beginning to pass directly through me. 'Embrace all emotion, embrace compassion... and let it fuel this state of being!' Dew knew I was up to something and quickly shot up into the air, spear leading her charge. " **Mystic Arte...** " My own voice felt like there were three of me speaking at once, my body soon completely enveloped in my aura. " **Musou Tensei!** "

 **Ornstein**

"I'll be one hundred percent honest, the abilities of these young ones continue to surprise me," I said as I stroked my chin. "It is to be expected, I can tell that they all have a hint of hardship somewhere in their past, and they've grown stronger from it," Ciaran said wisely while sipping on more of her coffee. 'How she can drink that stuff, I may never know,' I thought, eyeing the dirt-like liquid in disgust. "Granted, they still have ways to go before they can even touch some of their true potential," Artorias also butt in, "Especially Raiden." Honestly, this was quite enjoyable, sitting down with... most of my team, relaxing on a couch and just enjoying the fun of the Tournament. The old wound in my lung had completely vanished minus some scars here and there, but aside from that, everyone and everything seemed quite alright for now.

"What I still can't get over is how advanced this world is now... not to mention, the Fire burns brightly, for some reason." Artorias was right, and it was a thought that was in the back of all our minds. "It's the Age of Man now, our age of glory has long since passed since we were catapulted here," I dismissed, trying to to drag up old, painfully happy memories. "At the very least though... we are still known around Remnant to this day, so that's a positive thing." I grinned at that before focusing back on the match, just as the Teal-themed girl had been skilfully outsmarted her opponent. "Ooh, she seems to be in quite a pinch." I clenched my jaw as my stare narrowed down at the sight of her caught in the whirling tornado. 'What will you do...?'

"Oh my, it seems as if Claire is in quite the tight spot!" Rei announced, "How will she manage to deal with Dew's terrible tornados?" Admittedly, I was eating forward in my seat, my foot tapping restlessly as I pondered how she could possibly get out of such a situation. 'Her Time-Skip is too draining for a situation like this, so how-?' I thought, right before I saw her mouth move. The camera didn't pick up what she was saying, but it looked as if she was chanting something, her eyes turning sharper. 'She's planning something.' In that moment, her entire body seemed to turn into aura itself, her figure outlined in teal ethereal mass. "Did... did she just become aura?" Artorias asked, as dumbfounded as I was. Then, she just disappeared, gone in the wind (hehehe, get it?) before she suddenly appeared right behind Dew, viciously striking her in the back and sending her into a rock wall.

Dew recovered quickly, though she was clearly hurt and winded, she charged fearlessly towards her and began an unrelenting assault of thrusts and quick stabs. Claire didn't even move, every attack passing directly through her like air. Dew quickly got frustrated, leaping away and firing another giant gust of wind at her. Claire's glowing body moved blindingly fast as she met her wind with another strike, her auric fist surprisingly shaped delicately, fingers together but her hand relaxed. Suddenly, that same hand moved in a quick upward motion as a line of aura was left behind the tips of her fingers. Dew's spear suddenly was torn to literal metallic shreds, the pieces of it flying everywhere, leaving Dew with a shocked face. " **ATATATATATA-ATAAA!** " Claire yelled, an unstoppable barrage of punches sending Dew flying clean out of the arena. Then, she proceeded to disappear once again, seemingly done with her while the crowd cheered once again.

"... I want that," I said after a few moments, only to get kicked by my sister. "Quiet!" She hissed, both her and Artorias still watching intently. Looking back at the screen, the camera had focused back onto Raiden's sister, whom was fighting the other three girls head-on without any mercy, switching masterfully from using her twinblade, her semblance, and even her fists. Considering she was choosing to fight them on a very small patch of sand in the middle of the ocean-biome, this was especially impressive, not to mention the fact that she had yet to take a single hit. "Is that all you three have!? Come on, bring it!" She laughed, deflecting a slash from a flaming sword and stopping a hail of both throwing-knives and crossbow-bolts. A quickly lash of her foot threw up sand into her sword-wielding attacker's face, blinding her and allowing Kiko to grab her and fling her away with a pulse of purple gravity, said girl crashing into the water.

Claire chose then to appear next to her, her body now normally... normal, rather than being made from aura. "Oh, there you are. You used it?" Kiko asked.

"Of course," She replied, drawing her sword. "What say you and I spice things up a bit now?"

Kiko chuckled at that. "Thought you'd never ask!" Both of their weapons began to glow purple and teal respectively before the began randomly slashing everywhere, massive blades and spheres of aura ripping through the air and destroying everything in their paths, the water turning into steam and even giant mountains were cut down to size like a hot knife through butter. "They're purposefully changing the terrain," Artorias realised, a grin on his face. "And shaping to give them a clear advantage." By the time they were done destroying the entire arena, it seemed to be nothing but ruined floor and several mashed-together pillars of stone and sand. Finally, it seemed as if Kiko and Claire were nowhere to be found, the final three members of NDGO completely separated and disoriented (and to my surprise,each of them perfectly placed on top of the makeshift pillars.)

Claire once again appeared in a dazzling shine of her aura-wreathed form on top if the tallest pillar in the centre of the arena. Looking closely, I realised that she wasn't the only one there as well. Behind her were other, very translucent aura-based silhouettes, all of them familiar except one. From left to right were the identical, hazy shapes of Raiden, Kikoken, Oro, and finally, a much, _much_ taller figure, his muscular build incredibly bulky, his hair cut quite short and his eyebrows fairly thick. 'A family member perhaps? Or a mentor, from the looks of it...' I thought in the back of my mind, still entranced by what she was doing. Her stance change then, from standing to the exact same stance that Raiden used, legs apart and one hand stretched out while the other was guarding her chin, the Raiden behind her taking the exact same pose.

" **Wrath Arte: Raging Blast!** " She bellowed, both hands out in front of her as a beam of aura was violently shot from them, taking the jagged sword-wielder and the crossbow-girl clean out of the ring. The real Kikoken floated and landed right next to her teammate, one of her eyes glowing as a cocky grin split her face. She raised one hand up high, before clenching her fist and slamming it into the floor, the entire arena proceeding to practically explode, throwing the final fighter out of the ring. "And the Winners by four ring-outs in a row, is team ROCK!" Bartholomew announced once more, some cheering and others staring in shock and awe. "...Well, I think that we need to brush up on our own strength, am I right?" I laughed awkwardly, once again receiving a sharp kick to the ribs. " _Shut up!_ "

 **Kagome**

"Wipe that smile off of your face Azure," I hissed. "Stop wasting your time staring at your beloved upon a screen. Instead, hurry up, get out there, and meet her. Also, I need you to get a few things for me. Here's my list, so be a good subordinate and fetch it for me." The lizard-faunus kissed his teeth and looked away from the screen, taking to list from my hand before going back to his own business. "Now that the less competent fighters have been wiped out of the Tournament, I need you to ensure that my team is not paired up with anyone from Team ROCK, dear sister," I addressed to Cinder, whom was already making notes here and there. "Of course. Though, it's up to you and your own team to cause enough destruction as a distraction while I... finish what I started." I hated looking at the shame on her face, it marred the image of the powerful woman who I looked up to, whom I admired above almost all else.

"You will be able to do it without a hitch, so don't worry about it Cinder." That seemed to calm her down as she went back to making preparations. "Lord Tyrant will be coming as soon as it starts, right?" Drei asked, sharpening his axe. "Then if that's the case, shouldn't he just order the Grimm not to attack us? I think that would make the plan go a lot smoother."

"Don't be dumb, wolf-boy," Rachel snapped back, "We're meant to look like a sort of 'terrorist group'. If people see us actually _working with_ the Grimm, then that would look _waaaay_ to suspicious. Besides, you scared of some weak-ass Grimm?" The two of them literally crashed their heads together with a lout *TOK*, teeth bared at each other. "You wanna go bitch!?" She scoffed and pushed back, steam rising off of her. "Please, I can take you on any day, so bring it you little shit!" Cinder was quick to intervene, grabbing them both by the collar and pulling them apart. "You two, cut it _out_ , you're giving me and everyone else a damn headache," She growled as sparks of orange fire flew off of her skin, quickly forcing the two of them to calm down.

"Sooo... we haven't really talked about who we're dealing with all that much," Emerald stated, "I think it's time that you shared to us what Raiden's capable of." I turned and looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. "Emerald, learn to control your tongue or so help me-!" Cinder started furiously, scaring the poor girl to near-death before I stopped her. "It's fine sister," I said reassuringly. "Might as well anyway. Raiden has always been... strong, in a way. Even without a semblance when he first enrolled in Haven, I knew when I first saw him, he was something else, something special. Considering that a few months after he came in, he was being called the Strongest Rookie, and even the King of Haven, with how he always challenged upperclassmen and even took the most difficult missions. He has a number of useful weapons under his belt which helped him become strong, thanks solely to his raw talent turned into unparalleled skill."

"So he was always strong, in that sense?" Cinder asked, her interest caught. I couldn't help but laugh at that statement, speaking after a bit. "You'd actually be surprised that he was once the _weakest_ of us all. Not to say that he was absolutely useless, but he shouldn't have been able to pass the initiation test. To sum it up, we're all thrown into a massive arena, pit against both each other and Grimm, though Teams are formed through alliances in the arena. What got him through wasn't dumb luck, or even raw talent. It was just sheer tenacity." Mercury snorted, "That's it? Please, what's so special about that?"

I looked at him dead in his eyes, completely shutting him up and making him squirm for a few seconds before answering, "During the initiation, his weapons shattered, and he used his bare fists, which I should _also_ mention had several shards of his weapon embedded deep within his arms and hands. Even when he was knocked unconscious, his body still fought for him right until it was over. So, tell me Mercury Black, is that special enough for you?" Needless to say, he stayed silent for once, lowering his head and looking away from me, having taken a sudden interest in a spec on the wall. "Anyway," I continued, "Afterwards, when he was placed as leader of his team, he quickly understood that he needed to become much, much stronger. So he trained endlessly. Whenever he had free time, he was either physically exhausting himself or working on his aura."

Cinder pondered over this before adding, "Come to think about it, he _has_ been doing similar things whenever I manage to catch a glimpse of him, even over the past few days." Admittedly, that made me cautious. Even now, he never slacked off on his training? Which means what he said was true: he was _far_ stronger than before, and most importantly, he will be ready for me. Or at least... he _thinks_ he'll be. "During this, he had earned a number of powerful skills under his belt, such as the Skywalk, Flash-Step, Strength Augmentation, and what he was most famed for, the Red King Burst."

"My question is," Emerald asked, "Why was he so weak in the first place?"

"His heritage." Drei stepped in, arms crossed and his eyes closed as he fed a grape into his mouth with his fluffy tail. "Direct divine offspring always start off weaker than normal, due to the mortal side greatly weakening the divine. However, the potential hidden within the person is far greater than that of a normal mortal or even a distant offspring of a Deity, like Azure. In other words, he's basically the best of both sides put into one person. Not to mention, considering that his father is-"

" **Drei.** "

"..."

"That's enough, thank you. Please don't speak his name," I said, relaxing now that the threat was taken away. Drei himself realised his mistake and turned slightly paler, bowing slightly to me. "M-My apologies, lady."

"Wait, even evoking his name is that bad?" Rachel asked , genuinely shocked, "Just how powerful is he?"

"He's said have fought the Red King to a bloody draw," Cinder finished brutally. "So my sister is correct in saying that evoking his name isn't exactly a good idea. As much as possible, we must keep as many dangerous opponents from stopping our plans to the best of our ability, with whatever means necessary. Are we understood?" She asked. Again, I couldn't help but marvel at the strength of her voice. 'What else is to be expected from someone whom his better than me?' I thought with a small smile.

 **Kikoken**

"Whew, that last burst of my semblance drained me quite a lot," I chuckled, opening a bottle of water and pouring it on my head. "But, damn Claire, you actually managed to do it. Nice job!" She gave me a tired high-five, lying down on the bench. After our match was done, Claire and I had pretty much carried each other outside, floating back to the Festival Grounds. "I... honestly didn't think... that it would take that much energy from me..." She panted, sipping from her own bottle, never wildly gulping like I normally did after a well-fought battle. Granted, this was _slightly_ more than a warmup. "Still though, really nice job."

"Will Raiden be pleased though?" She asked, "What about Oro?"

I raised an eyebrow and smirked, nudging her arm. "Claire, please. Bro will be more than please. Oro... yeah, just make sure to change the bedsheets when he's done with you." She turned beet-red, though she managed to somehow keep her face as straight as possible. "Oh? If that's what you're telling me to do, than maybe I should bleach all the furniture, no thanks to what you and Azure enjoy doing on it." Now it was my face's turn to go full-tomato, the heat enough to fry an egg. "Never understood why you two enjoyed making love on something as uncomfortable as a _desk_ , especially when there's a _perfectly_ comfortable bed right by you." She broke into a small grin of her own, "Don't get me wrong though, I have no problem whatsoever when Oro pins me up against a wall."

I changed my nudge to a slap before muttering, "Oh shut up, I get it."

"You can be _far_ too easy to fluster, pop-tart," She chuckled, sipping her water again. "It makes for interesting conversations with you, like the one we're having right now." I roughly nudged her again, yelling, "Okay, okay, I get it!" She only gave her small chuckle at that, smiling right back at me with her usual calm, catty visage. A group of people walking towards us caught our attention, Claire's ears twitching as she reached for her weapons, my own hand gripping Impact's dormant state. Even after all this time, we were still on guard for Kagome and her team. Instead, what we got was Raiden, Oro, and the rest of Team RWBY, making both us us relax. "Don't run off like that!" Were the first stern words out of my brother's mouth. "I was getting worried that something happened to you two..."

"Please, we might be a bit winded, but we're far from defenceless," I scoffed. Oro was completely deaf to anything that was said, walking so purposefully towards Claire that it honestly put me on edge until he effortlessly scooped her up, enveloping her in a passionate kiss. Both of their faces were flushed red by the time they were done, their panting almost perfectly synched. "Watching you fight makes so hungry for you," He breathed, a hand not-so-subtly sliding from her leg to her butt. "If that's the case... your main course is ready," she breathed back. He didn't waste any time, quickly carrying her back to the direction of the Academy Dorms. "Make sure you clean the sheets when you're done!" Raiden called at them before they disappeared.

I couldn't help but laugh at Ruby and the reaction of her teammates; Blake had a noticeable pink dusting to her cheeks, a small smirk on her face. Weiss was noticeably redder, fanning herself (though that could just be her already pale complexion), while Ruby was as red as her namesake, Yang nudging her with waggling eyebrows. 'Kinda reminds me of the good ol' days,' I sighed inwardly. Raiden just huffed with a bit of amusement and annoyance before saying, "Anyone up for some... lunch...? Weiss, are you alive?" He asked, snapping his fingers in front of his face. No response. She just stared into the sky, eyes wide like a child watching their favourite superhero flying through the sky. I looked in the general direction she was looking and saw a sleek, small Atlesian airship with light-blue flags, and most importantly, it bared the Schnee symbol on the right side.

We all heard Weiss mutter, "She's here..." with the biggest smile on her face (I still can't get over the fact that Weiss is able to smile), and she randomly started to run towards it. "Weiss, where are you-!? Dang it, wait up!" Ruby whined before she sprinted off, a few rose-petals drifting behind her. Raiden shrugged and said, "Might as well!" Before flying after the two of them. "Take care of each other you two!" He called back, narrowly dodging a tree but flying into a number of smaller branches and leaves. "Selfless dumbass," I muttered, rolling my eyes and earning a laugh from Yang and Blake, the only one who stayed behind. We kinda stood around for a bit before she started, "Wanna bite to eat? I've got some cash on me."

"Sure, sounds lovely," I shrugged. 'Free food is free.'

We ended up getting some really unique popcorn; Yang got popcorn-Chicken, I got popcorn-Steak, and Blake got popcorn-Fish (of course). "No, seriously, how has NOBODY else realised that you're... y'know...?" I asked her, dumbfounded.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, somewhat offended. "My disguise is just fine."

"Blake, Kiko's right: you wear a _bow_ that twitches, you have fish for _dessert,_ and you get so easily distracted by a _laser-pointer_ ," Yang agreed, munching a fistful of popcorn.

"...In my defence, a laser-pointer is _already_ very distracting. Remember that one time with Ruby?"

Both Yang and I aimed a dead look at her. "Blake. That's _Ruby_ , the same girl who would chug cookies if it had a liquid form," I argued. Blake finally surrendered after that, sighing and popping some popcorn in her mouth. Yang and I shared a secret high-five behind her back, Blake of course trying to ruin our moment by saying, "You know, I can tell that you two are doing something behind my back."

"Spoilsport," I sighed, flicking some popcorn at her. She skilfully leaned away and my heart dropped to my stomach as I saw it fly in slow motion towards Yang's hair. Suddenly, I smelled ozone in the air, and a large hand shot out and caught it just in time. "Kiko, you seriously need to be careful with what you throw around," Azure sighed, munching on the popcorn he caught. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment and I glared at him, trying to ignore how good he looked in his casual clothing, just a white sleeveless shirt and some jeans, a few bags of groceries on his arm. "I didn't think that Blake could react that quickly," I argued, pushing my hands into my pockets.

"Doesn't feel so good to be on the other end of the stick, huh?" Blake whispered back, and I shot her a playful glare before turning back to Azure. "So..."

"So..." He returned, also awkwardly grinning.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked, butterflies in my stomach.

"Sure. Wouldn't mind a bit of help with this stuff too, and I'd love to catch up with you," He said with such open honesty. Blake nudged me towards him and Yang whispered, "Go get him girl!" I smiled and went with him, plucking a bag from his arm and walking with him. "See you two later," I called back before Azure scooted a bit closer to me. "Saw your fight," He said very casually, looking at some tomatoes in one bag. "And?" I asked with a raised brow, smirking slightly. He paused for a bit before showing off his signature crooked grin. "Eh, you were pretty sloppy. When they all came at you, your parrying was a bit sloppy. Your footwork wasn't too bad though, I'll give you that."

"Shut up, I can still kicked ass and you know it!" I argued, playfully turning away from him. He laughed and quickly used his tail to wrap around my waist, pulling me back to him. "I'm kidding, you did great," He said. "Seriously, you've gotten even better since I last saw you. Even control over your semblance is better. Though... it still takes a lot out of you." I shrugged, nibbling on more of my food. "Eh, you know I've always been more of a 'get it done quick' gal." He snickered and stole a quick bite from my food.

"Yeah, no kidding. You never last past ten minutes."

I hit him in the ribs hard, my face burning as he burst into hearty laughter. "Is everyone intent on making sex jokes or innuendos today?" I grumbled, earning a kiss on the forehead from him. 'Okay, so maybe it isn't that bad after all,' I thought with a small smile as I leaned into his chest. "I'm glad to have you back, you know that?" He said, hugging me around my waist. "I'm just glad that you're still alright, since..." I scowled as I ran a hand over his abdomen, still able to feel the scar there. "I still wish that we could have done something when she attacked you." Ever the optimistic person, her shrugged with a smile. "Hey, at the very least, I got a cool ass scar and your team got even stronger. Not to mention..." His eyes got a bit darker, something primal in them making my breath hitch, "You've certainly filled out a bit more than I expected."

I groaned and dragged him with me to the nearest dorm-room. 'This might take a bit,' I thought, my breathing getting a bit heavy and he easily matched my pace. 'Or not.'

 **Weiss**

I couldn't keep my smile off of my face, etiquette be damned as I sprinted to the courtyard where the ship landed. "Weiss, wait up!" Ruby called as she caught up to me. "What's going on? Is it an alien!?" I spared Ruby a glare before looking back and smiling as it opened up, revealing none other than... "Winter," I breathed, joy overflowing from me.

"Wait... that's your sister?" She asked. Raiden skilfully flipped out of the air and landed smoothly, an annoyed look on his face as he picked some leaves and twigs from his hair. "Alright what did I... is that a grown-up Weiss I'm looking at?" He asked before peering closely. "Oh shoot, that's Atlesian Specialist Winter Schnee! Huh, even from here I can tell that she's strong. Or at least, I can feel that she has pretty good control of her aura. Huh, just like you Weiss, am I right?" He chuckled. I rolled my eyes and smiled, quickly walking towards the landed airship. Winter seemed to notice very quickly, turning around and raising a brow.

"Winter, I'm so happy to see you-!" I caught myself, reigning in my emotions and curtsying. "Your presence honours us."

"Beacon... it's been quite some time," She spoke in her usual regal tone. "Even the air itself feels different." Raiden grinned even as he picked more twigs out of his hair. "Well, considering that it's closer to December, it's probably colder now." I whacked him on the head as hard as i could, earning almost no reaction aside from an even wider grin. "Anyway, what is it you're doing here?" I asked.

"Classified," She answered.

"Oh..." I paused a bit, "Well, how long are you staying?"

"Classified," she said a bit sharply.

"Of course," I dropped the subject, simply happy enough to enjoy her being here. Granted, it got pretty awkward after few seconds with all the silence. "So... this is nice... I... think?" Ruby laughed nervously. I'm fairly sure that my facial expression showed it too. "Nice? This sounds less like a family reunion and more like we're at a funeral," Raiden stated bluntly, seemingly done with picking stuff out of his hair. Winter turned a critical eye to him, eyebrow raised and a small frown on her face, my heart dropping to my stomach. 'Oh god, he pissed her off!'

"I don't believe I was made aware of whom you are," she said sharply, eyes narrowing. Shocking both me and Winter, Raiden dropped into a proper Atlesian bow, one hand on his heart and a knee bent lightly, his free out out to receive Winter's own hand. When she did put his hand into hers, he gently kissed her gloved knuckles before letting go. "Raiden Ryuka, pleasure to meet you Winter Schnee." Winter actually smiled, tilting her head and giving a small bow of her own. "Goodness, you actually got me from angry to impressed in a matter of seconds. You really must be a Ryuka then, pleasure to meet you as well. Anyway Weiss, how have you been?"

"Splendid, thank you for asking! I'm actually one of the top ranking in our sparring classes, and all of my studies are going wonderfully too, not to mention, thanks to Raiden I've-!" I didn't see her hand sailing through the air until it was too late, smacking across my head hard. "Silence you boob!" Of course Ruby chose that moment to snicker. "I don't recall asking about your _ranking_ , I asked how you've _been_. Are you eating properly, have you taken any hobbies up, have you made new friends?"

"Well, there's Ruby and Raiden..." Looking at them, Ruby was giggling at me while Raiden had a very worried face, looking at something on my head before Ruby pushed down on a sore-spot with a childishly cute " _Boooop._ " Winter passed a critical eye onto Ruby. "So, this is the leader which you wrote of? How appropriately... underwhelming." Not going to lie, I bristled a bit at that.

"Hey, every rose has sharp thorns," Raiden said wisely, a small smile on his face.

"Fair enough. That being said, I must thank you for taking an interest in my sister. She can be quite hard to understand and get along with at first, being as stubborn as she is..." I felt myself blush as I crossed my arms, muttering, "I wasn't _that_ bad..."

"Sure, no problem. The honour is in my... court!" She trued to curtsy but almost fell awkwardly, righting herself with awkward laughter. "Well, while I am here I have business with the General and your Headmaster. However, seeing as I have some time, I'd like to spend it with you and inspect your living quarters, just to ensure that they are up to my personal standards."

"That's wonderful!" I nearly squealed with excitement before I remembered something, "Oh, just to tell you, our bunk-beds only _look_ unsafe."

"Oh boy, can't wait to see this," Raiden chuckled, hands in his pockets as we walked with us. I heard Ruby shouting something about meeting us later, doing a terribly cute impression of using proper language before running off. The new Atlesian Knights were following both behind and in front of us, a 'royal guard of sorts'. Maybe not as powerful as the Holy Knights serving under the King of Vale, but still formidable.

"Not gonna lie, even though these new knights are kinda fragile, there's no doubt that they're far better than the last batch," Raiden said, knocking on the chest plating of one. "When you mass produce something like these, overwhelming strength is more focused upon rather than a sturdy defence," Winter agreed, distaste evident in her voice. "I still think that they should at least be able to take hits, even if they are just the less advanced versions of the other knights." Just as she said that, loud *CRUNCH* sounds echoed behind us, all of us turning rapidly, Winter's hand going to her weapon.

The man who stood before us looked incredibly shabby, with messy salt-and-pepper hair, a grey suit-jacket rolled at the sleeves, black dress pants and shoes, and finally a short, dark red and tattered cape. In his hand was the decapitated corpse of one of the rear-guarding Atlesian Knights, the other was lying on the floor with a caved in chest, sparks flying and blueish oil leaking onto the ground. "Hey! I'm talkin' to you, Ice Queen!" He shouted in a gravelly and slurred voice before the threw the hunk of metal away. It just occurred to me what he said and I angrily stormed forward right up to him, hands on my hips as I scowled at this ragged man.

"Excuse me, do you have any idea whom you're dealing with?" I asked haughtily, only to have his right hand in my face. "Dshshshshhh..." He hushed me like a child, his breath positively reeking of hard liquor. "Not you..." he pushed me away roughly and I couldn't help but let out an indignant "Hey!" He took a few steps forward and glared directly at Winter, his fists clenched. "You." As I rushed back to her side, I noticed the Raiden had his hoodie up, covering most of his face besides his mouth... which was shaped in what looked like a predatory smile. "Saw that gaudy ship o' yours in town, figured you might be here," he mocked.

"I'm standing right before you," She sniped back, earning an infuriating squint before he said, "So it would seem. Hmph, you Atlas Specialists think that you're so special."

"It's _in_ the title," she replied cooly, though I could tell she was loosing her temper.

"Well you know what I think you are? A bunch a' sellouts... just like your boss."

"I'm not not sure what you think you're implying," She said as a hand went to her sword, "But I've heard enough."

"Ooh, I've heard too, heard that ol' Ironwood turned his back on Ozpin." That piqued my interest, letting myself mutter, "Professor Ozpin...?" These two seemed to know each other quite well, and not in a way which can be considered anywhere near friendly.

"Step away Weiss," Winter said, pushing me away suddenly, confusing me.

"Yeah, listen to your big sister Weiss!" The man laughed, stumbling a bit. "She's gonna protect you, just like Atlas is gonna protect all of us, right!?" Winter snarled and fiercely gripped her saber, shouting back, "If you can hold your tongue, Qrow, then I'll gladly tear it from your mouth!" The sword made an elegant sound of steel against sheath as she drew it, pointing it threateningly at this 'Qrow'. He grinned again and brushed his hair back with his hands. "Alright then... come take it if you think you can." Glancing around, I could see a crowd gathering, half of them with their scrolls out. 'That's not good...'

I could tell that Winter was about to pounce, right up until Raiden decided to step in front of her, confusing all of us. "Raiden, what are you doing!?" I whispered harshly. "Winter Schnee, I don't think that it would be too good of an idea to openly attack what looks like a drunk man, considering you're an Atlas Specialist. Besides... I've been looking forward to this for a long, _long_ time," before he blasted right at the man in a burst of aura, blowing both of us back.

" **Wrath Arte, RAGING STRIKE!** " He roared, aura billowing off of him as he shot his fist at the man's head. If he didn't dodge by leaning back, I was certain that his head would have been at least caved in, the force of it tearing through a light pole several meters behind him. 'Wait a minute, he actually dodged it? An Auric Strike from Raiden?' I though, bewildered. Winter's eyes were similarly portraying surprise and shock, though towards what, I couldn't tell. In the process, Raiden's hoodie has fallen off, revealing his face to the crowd. Everyone at this point was now watching what was about to happen with growing anticipation, myself included.

"Huh, I thought that you looked familiar," Qrow said, still in his lean-back position.

"What, do I look any different?" Raiden asked after drawing his fist back, settling into a casual fighting stance.

"Well for one thing," Qrow sighed, "Your hair seems a bit shorter. Maybe it's just me." Raiden shrugged, flicking some of his hair with his hand. "You sure it isn't because you're drunk?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Ouch kid, low blow," They both laughed for a while before it died down, heir faces suddenly looking a bit more serious and even sinister. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Been a fair while since I fought someone considerably tougher than me, and I can tell on the look on your face that you're practically _itching_ for a fight."

"You're telling me? You yourself have that look in your eye, and you're literally _shaking_ for it, you old drunk!" He shot back, both of their weapons unfurling into the light. Qrow's weapon was what looked like a massive, single-edged buster blade, the sword itself seeming to have many segmented parts. 'Even compared to the quality of Winter's weapon, I wouldn't be surprised it a single blow from something like that snapper her blade in two!' I thought. "I think we've both _talked_ enough. Let's get down it business!" Qrow bellowed.

"Stole the words right outta my mouth, old man. _Let's go!_ "

 **To Be Continued-**

* * *

 **A.N: So... it's been what, well over two months? Yeah, once again, sorry about all you guys whom were patiently waiting for me. Over the summer, seeing as I'm basically going into pre-college, I needed to at least try and jump ahead into my studies rather than be left at square one, and the summary of a book I was reading took WAAAAY longer than I expected, or wanted really, leaving me very little time to do this. Nonetheless, my passion for this story and for you guys has not changed, and I will still do my best to give you guys a good story! That being said, thank you all for being so patient with me, and thanks for all of your support. Peace out guys!**


	19. 100 Raiden! How we ended up here

**(A.N: And welcome back to the story guys. Just remember, I don't own RWBY, Dark Souls, Asura's Wrath, the Dragon Ball franchise, Metal Gear Franchise, Tales of... franchise and any other series used in the making of this story. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **[Into the Dark]**

 **[Chapter 18]**

 **Raiden, 100% of his power!**

 **Times long past...**

* * *

 **(Que Music: Sonic Mania OST, Metal Sonic Boss-fight)**

 **Raiden**

"Don't you dare start easing up old drunk, I'm just getting warmed up with you!" I shouted, landing a strike on his ribs. Still Qrow stood his ground with a grin, swinging right back and nailing me in the arm. "Please kid, as if I'm going easy. And don't call me old!" Another swing struck me full-force, and even with my guard up, it felt like a truck was trying to kiss my face while going a couple thousand miles-per-hour. In short, he hit me _really fucking hard_. 'Looks like I'm gonna have to stop holding back myself,' I thought, stepping in and swinging an uppercut right into his solar-plexus, stunning him. " **Wrath Arte...!** " Aura violently spiraling around my fist like a drill, I kept on pushing my fist even further up. " **Raging Ascension Strike!** " Finally I managed to get some space in between us, knocking him into the air as I opened my outstretched hand, firing a ball of aura from my gauntlet. Qrow took it in stride, firing a shot from his weapon and detonating my aura-ball.

"Huh, and you're telling me to let loose while you're still holding back? Cheeky," Qrow said as he landed, firing off even more rounds, forcing me to deflect as many as I could with my hands. 'Gods, are these Slugs he's firing at me?' I thought as each one I couldn't get to in time hit me stung badly. 'Wait, where did he go?' Instantly, I felt his blade connect solidly with my back, pain lancing through me as I stumbled forward. On instinct, I blasted off into the sky, just in time to dodge a downward swing that crushed tile and sent chunks of stone flying. "Running away? Not gonna help kid!" He shouted as he appeared right in front of me, winding up for a swing. 'Gotcha!' I Skystepped over the slash with a flip, bringing my heel down on his head with a loud _***WHACK***_ and sending his plummeting back into the ground. Another burst of aura, and I was rocketing right down to where he was with my fist drawn back. " **Iron Body: Heavy Metal!** " I shouted, my aura condensing on my skin as I tensed every muscle in my body as hard as I could, effectively making me like a metal statue, smashing into the ground and breaking even more of the walkway.

"Great, he's gone again," I muttered as I loosened up, "He fights so much like Ruby, but even faster!" Flipping away from another surprise slash to my neck, standing my ground and ready to fight head on. He came sprinting, sword chopping down at my head. "Alright then, if that's how you want to play!" I roared, setting my feet rifling my left fist upward, connecting with his downward slash with a deafening _***CLANG***_. 'I'm inside his guard!' I stepped in and drew back, aiming a straight right as his chin. Unfortunately, had it not been for that annoying-ass stone under my foot, I wouldn't have slipped and missed. 'Damn his broken-ass semblance, that shit's just O.P!' I raged as he kneed me in the face, halting my fall... 'Wait, this is perfect!' I thought, quickly setting my feet under me and grabbing his wrist, my other hand slamming into his liver, digging it in as he curled in on himself. My gauntlet suddenly lit up in orange, the aura-crystal in my weapon's palm pulsing violently as I opened my hand, roaring " **Wrath Arte: Raging Cannon!** " An explosion of my aura hit him dead on with no room to dodge, blasting back hard enough for his wrist to slip out of my grip.

As he landed, we both relaxed and stood up, dusting ourselves off. "Ouch... not bad kid, you actually caught me with that and it hurt," He chuckled, cracking his neck and tapping his ribs with a cough. "But I think that we're both still not really that serious, are we?"

"Well, when you put it like that... how much are you outputting?" I asked. The man hummed, thinking for a bit before answering, "About Twenty or so percent. You?"

"Damn, I'm about Thirty-five tops," I hissed in disappointment. "Oh well. Can we start getting real now?"

"Was waiting for you to say that kid," He said, taking out a new flask from his pocket, this one being made from a black metal. "I'll be honest, are you sure you want to fight me while I'm sober? There's a reason why I suppress my abilities, and you weren't really conscious the last time I fought you." I punched my knuckles together, smirking. "Bring it!" Qrow shrugged and sipped from his flask, his eyes suddenly focusing and his irises starting to grow much more vibrant in color, dark crimson aura beginning to waft off of him.

'Guess I was right. He probably mixes his alcohol with some kind of suppressing agent while in the flask he's _now_ drinking from has an anti-suppressant. Guess it's time for my natural 100% then!' I set my feet apart and crossed my arms in front of my face, taking away all of my mental limitations. " **This... is my... _100 Percent!_** " I roared as my aura around me was exploding in violent waves, strong enough to push everyone who was too close back forcefully, casting orange light all over the courtyard. Dark orange bio-electricity shot off of my skin and even my clothes, every single marking on my body glowing so bright, they shone even through my clothes. Finally, my muscles began to expand very slightly, filling out my baggy hoodie and pants, a side-effect of using my 100% power.

"Alright kid," Qrow said sharply as his own power shot up like a razor, holding his blade up in a playful stance, "Come at me!"

Wasting no time, I burst forward, the ground beneath my feet shattering as I flew at him and threw out a blinding roundhouse kick. He slashed right down, and I had just barely activated the Iron-Body skill in my leg as it connected with his blade. "Auric Arte, Flare Blitz!" I quickly blasted him with my aura and dashed forward, striking him with a right hook and an uppercut. He didn't even flinch, an upward strike ripping through the air and sending me hurtling into a light-pole, people barely managing to dive out of the way. Qrow leaped forward, another downward cut aimed right at me, forcing me to catch it between my hands with another ***CLANG***. We stayed there, locked for a few moments before I roared and managed to push him off, headbutting his nose. Still he didn't flinch, grabbing my neck and slamming me face-first into the floor. "You're getting soft, Ryuka!" He sneered before he threw me skyward, only to slammed be back down again with a swing of his sword.

Pain shot through my spine, but I pushed it away, unable to wipe the grin off of my face. Even if I was being beaten, this felt so unbelievably _exhilarating_. Still though... 'I can't keep up my 100% for too long,' I thought as I parried and blocked more of his jarring blows with my gauntlets. 'Even if it does come with an extra boost in my strength, speed and auric defense thanks to all of it being forced out at a far higher rate than normal, I'm still leaking _way_ too much aura, and to top it off, my stamina's taking a beating because it too. Need to finish this as soon as possible, and that means I might have to go over my limit!' Tapping very slightly into my semblance, I ducked under another swing and fired another left straight at his face, barely grazing him. "Missed again kid!" He reared back to deliver another swing before I grinned, making him pause.

"Check again! **Wrath Arte, Raging Cannon!** " My other hand right on his chest burst aura out, sending him flying on top of the pillar-arches. I chased after him, flying into the air and launching a volley of aura-blasts, all of which he just deflected with simple ease, his own blade suddenly glowing as he wound up. "Auric Arte: Crow Talon, Hunt!" With a powerful slash, an arc of pure bloody aura screamed through the air, and I barely managed to Skystep out of the way. "You missed!" I laughed, hands glowing as I was charging up another aura blast. All he did was smirk and point behind me... "Oh SON OF A B-!" I realized too late that it was a homing type as it crashed into my back again, sending me flying right towards Qrow, his body and blade oozing aura. "This is it kid, you fought well but not well enough! **Mystic Arte...!** " I grit my teeth and tensed my body, using Iron Body once again as he leaped through the air.

" **Death's Messenger!** " It felt like he hit me hundred of times all at once, pain exploding through me as I plummeted limply out of the air, smashing through a tree and into my out personal crater in the floor. I groaned as I managed to climb out after a few seconds. 'Damn, that hurt... wait, where's my hoodie?' I thought as I noticed that I was bare-chested. Qrow was standing a fair few meters away from me, grinning like a child. "Sorry, might've let loose a bit too much and ripped your stuff."

"Oh come on, that was my favorite one!" I shouted, genuinely pissed off. My mom bought it for me, and it was a super-comfy one-size fits all. "Fine, if that's the path you want to go down, **MYSTIC ARTE!** " My aura exploded out of me once more, and it was only now I realized that I was in rough shape. My breathing was heavy, a couple of his slashes got past my aura with shallow cuts on my chest and back, and I felt pretty damn sore all over. It made me even more excited; I haven't had this much fun in months! Qrow grinned and reared up, aura pouring off of him again as he readied his own attack. Focusing my all my aura into my hands, I gripped the ground with my toes as hard as I could, the very air around me crackling and sparking with my auric energy. My gauntlets were glowing violently, the dust crystals in them beginning to crack and the metal heating up rapidly as I overcharged them with aura. Perfect.

Shooting both my hands forward, curled fingers pointing at each other and palms out, I bellowed, " **GOD SLAYER, CHOU KIKO-HOOOO**!" All the aura built up inside of my gauntlets exploded out in a massive beam, nearly flinging me off of my feet. It met Qrow's own aura-empowered strike dead on with a deafening ***BOOM*** , forcing him back as he pushed against my blast. "Time for the finishing touch...!" Tensing my legs, I jumped right into my own aura-beam, flying through it with a fist cocked back. Qrow couldn't do anything but stare in shock as I flew right into him, screaming, " **GOD SLAYER STRIKE!** " I finally managed to land a killer blow on Qrow, my fist ripping through the air and my metal clad knuckles smashing into his cheek. 'I won! I actually w-!' ***CRUNCH*** The last thing I remember was Qrow's sword, which was no longer being held back by my Kiko-ho, smashed right into my neck, all of that built-up momentum sending me straight into the floor.

 **(Music end)**

* * *

People say that sometimes when you black out, you can feel like you're just floating in your own mind, and in this case, it very much felt like it. _"Well... that was both awesome and it sucked,"_ I sighed to myself, feeling blissfully weightless. _"Arguably, I should have seen that one coming. Just another sloppy mistake to add to the list... among a pile of many other bigger fuck-ups."_ That previous feeling of exhilaration was starting to fade as I unwillingly dragged up a past I didn't want to relive. Screams of terror, my fists covered in blood that wasn't mine, my own rage spilling from my body and razing everything... " _Stop it! What's past is past, deal with it!_ " I shook my imaginary head and focused back on the present; which was me, floating around in my own head. " _Oh, look at that, I'm coming to. Welp, let me place bets, I'm either in my bed or in the infirmary..._ "

* * *

I opened my eyes and shot right up, accidentally butting my head into someone with a loud **_THUNK._** "Ow, Gods kid, you scared the life outta me!" Qrow berated me, rubbing a noticeable bruise on his left cheekbone. Me? I was just in pain everywhere, especially on the right side of my neck and my right arm, both of them literally throbbing with each heart-beat. I was still partially embedded in a me-shaped crater in the ground, bits of stone and dirt on me. "Ugh... how long was I out?" I groaned, sitting up and dusting myself off as best as I could. "Only about half a minute. Damn, you pack one hell of a punch, I'd say you're even stronger than the last time we fought," He chuckled, holding out a hand. I grasped it and helped myself up. It was only then I realized that there were a lot of people who had gathered around. "Oh crap, anyone injured?"

"No, thankfully," Qrow sighed. "And don't worry about shrapnel either, everyone here has aura, and the bigger chunks were taken care of Miss Ice Queen over there." I looked over my shoulder and saw Winter standing ready with her glittering Calvary-Saber, several perfectly cut chunks of stone littering the area around us. "Huh... neat," I muttered, picking more chunks of stone from my ear. "Question," I started, "How much were you outputting this time?"

"Easily up to 75 percent. That 100% power of your is definitely formidable, but you'll need to find a way to maintain it, rather than letting it drain ya that much. Aside from that though..." He raised both hands and pointed both fingers at me like pistols. "You're pretty good."

"What in the hell has happened here!?"

Everyone had turned around and saw General Ironwood with his entourage of guards and, strangely, a girl who seemed about a year older than Ruby with a Atlas-Style blouse and bright orange hair. I first ignored her, until I felt the aura coming off of her, visibly making me do a double-take. Her aura was surprisingly powerful, however... something about it felt very off. Anyway, focusing back on the General, he cast a surprised look at Qrow before turning to Winter. "Report, Specialist Schnee." Winter straightened up and sheathed her weapon, pointing directly at Qrow. "Qrow had started the altercation, sir!"

"Ah-ah-ah, he was the one who attacked first," Qrow said, pointing at me this time.

"You old dickhead!" I muttered angrily, earning another grin from him. "Hey, you _did_ attack me first kid."

I sighed and looked back at Ironwood, whom was now leveling a hard glare at me. "Explain yourself, Ryuka." Thinking for a couple of moments, the back of my mind went into panic. 'Shit, I can't just say that I got into a fight because I wanted to! Shit-shit-sh... wait, I got it!" I leveled a blank stare at Qrow and replied, "Well Sir, this dude showed up drunk off his ass and proceeded to tear apart some of your Androids. I knew some trouble was gonna come about, with him taunting Specialist Schnee, I thought it would be better if I would take her place in order not to spoil Atlas' reputation by having her forced to fight a drunk man."

"Oh you cheeky bastard," Qrow growled this time, elbowing me in the ribs. "Well then..." Ironwood said, clearly surprised, "I... thank you for being so considerate. As for you, _Qrow._ " The two of them sized each other up, and I was almost sure that another fight was gonna break out, one that I actually wanted to stay out of this time. "What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed, both seething and curious. "I could ask you the same thing, Jimmy." Tension only served to build further, one that made me and the crowd slowly begin to step back, until-

"Now, now," Ozpin said, seemingly arriving out of nowhere with perfect timing, Headmistress Glynda right next to him. 'Oh thank sweet GOD!'

"There's a sanctioned fight about to happen right up in the Colosseum, where I assure you has far better seating. Oh, and popcorn." _***Siiiiiiiip***_ 'Yup, I can see exactly why dad liked him," I thought with a small smile, hands in my pockets. "Break it up everyone!" Glynda stepped in, her voice harsh and commanding. "We will take care of this mess." She turned a burning glare toward Ironwood, and he actually broke first, the man grunting quietly and looking down in what looked to be a few shades of embarrassment and shame. 'Wow, the more you know.' As soon as the General and his posse decided to take their leave, I heard a familiar voice squeal, "Uncle Qrooooooow!" Ruby dived through the air out of nowhere and latched onto his arm, the man causally lifting the girl up with no problem whatsoever. "Hi!"

"Hold on," Something clicked in my mind, " _Uncle!?_ "

"Yup! Raiden, meet my Uncle Qrow... though, it looks like you already know him," She giggled before turning back to her Uncle. "It's so good to see you! How have you been, is your weapon still doing fine, did you miss me!?" There was a moment of silence before he answered with a grin, "Nope."

'Shit... that kinda explains why his fighting style is really similar to hers... or vice versa, he probably trained her how to use a scythe,' I thought, smiling as I saw how they interacted.

"Qrow!" Ozpin called as Glynda repaired all the damage we did in seconds, "A word, please." Said drunkard leaned in and whispered to both of us, "I think I'm in trouble." I grinned and clapped my palm into his own. "We did kinda wreck the courtyard in our little romp."

"Hehe, hell yeah we did," He chuckled, returning the strong grip. "See you soon, Ryuka." He moved on to Ruby, fist-bumping her. "Catch ya later kiddo." He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered off to follow Ozpin, waving back at us one more time. "So... that's your uncle? I'm wiling to bet he trained you, didn't he?" I asked, nudging her. "That's right. I was utter garbage before he took me under his wing, then I turned into the super scythe-wielding warrior you see today!" She cheered before grinning and nudging me back. "Plus, you did loose to him just now." I scoffed, playfully pretending to be insulted. "Well, Ruby Rose, I'll have you know that I still could have easily beat him. That wasn't even my full power, either."

"Wait, that wasn't your full power!?"

I screamed and leaped away from the sudden voice that was directly behind me. "GOOD LORD, MAKE SOME NOISE WHEN YOU WALK WOMAN!" Weiss looked reasonably offended, arms crossed and her face pinkish as she pouted. "Aren't you the one who's supposed to sense aura-signatures with incredible ease?" I sighed and rubbed my forehead, a spike of annoyance flaring through me. "Weiss, that's like asking someone to try and hold their breath for every single second of the day, it still takes a lot of concentration to naturally do. The only exception to that rule is if someone's Auric Power suddenly spikes high enough to alert your normal senses. Oh, and my mom too. As for your first question, yes and no. That was my _natural_ 100%, not me using my semblance with it." Weiss thought about it before conceding, "Good point. Anyway, I think we now see where Ruby gets her... willingness to fight from," She drawled at said red reaper. "You're just mad because you know he would've whooped Winter's butt."

"Please, she would beat him any-day!" She argued.

"Correct, her current power-level would be sufficient in beating Qrow Branwen though her style of combat is far too straightforward, of her military status says anything about her." I nearly screamed again, dashing away from Claire. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, her weapons at her sides. "Gods, do I have to put a bell on you too?" I muttered. "Wait, weren't you and Oro about to...?" She cocked her head, pointing at the sky. "It's been two hours since then. Have you not noticed that it is noon right now?" Looking up, I was surprised to see that she was right; the sky was orange and turning darker by the minute. 'Huh... it felt like we just left them about a minute ago! Guess time really does fly,' I thought. "Where's Oro right now?" Weiss asked. "I was fairly sure that you were... copulating with him."

"Don't worry, he should still be sleeping. I made sure that he used _quite_ a lot of energy on me." Of course Ruby and Weiss turned beet red, while I expected it. "That being said, what did you mean by Power-Level? You sound like you have my old Aura-Scouter," I chuckled. "Technically, that is indeed what I've discovered," She replied bluntly.

"...Come again?"

 **Claire**

"What's a power-level?" Ruby asked curiously. "To sum it up, a power-level is just a numerical way of calculating a person's rough strength in battle. There are two factors that make up one's level; Physical ability, and auric strength." Looking at Ruby and activating my Observation in my eyes, numbers and letters began to float around in my head, aligning themselves right next to Ruby. "Let's see... Physical Ability: 604, Auric Strength: 589. Total power-level is 1,193."

"Yay!...Is that good?" She asked me. "Considering the majority of the first-year students have barely breached the 1,000 mark, then I'd say you're doing well Ruby Rose. As for Weiss, Physical Ability, 432. Auric Strength, 720. Total power-level is 1,152."

"Whaaaat!? Ruby's stronger than me?"

"Well, your aura is stronger than Ruby's," Raiden said, "But you're... not exactly cut out for heavy-lifting or anything of the like. I mean, look at your weapon compared to Ruby's! She could probably break it over her knee if she wanted to." Weiss pouted and Ruby was the first to comfort her. "Hey, since when did you learn to do that?" Raiden asked, genuinely curious. "Technically, I've been able to do this for a very long time, I only just found out in my fight earlier today. I've just put it in a way which is a tad bit more accurate. You and I are able to tell roughly how powerful someone is by sensing their aura alone, but now, I can accurately identify and calculate a person's current physical and auric output in a pinch much like your previous Scouter."

"That's a pretty big advantage, nice going Claire! Care to give me a reading? I'll go all the way to 100% again, if you don't mind," He asked, stepping away from us. "Go ahead, I'm currently reading you right now as a total of 2,135." Weiss looked like she was about to leap out of her skin. "2,135!? What percent are you on!?" She screeched. "Eh, about Twenty-five percent," He answered. "Here goes!"

 **(Que Music: DBZ OST, Son Goku is the Strongest after all)**

"You might want to take a couple more steps backwards! **HRAAAAAAA!** " Without any shirt on, everyone around us could see his marking suddenly burst with orange light as Aura rocketed off of his body, blowing hair out of my face as I watched the numbers in my head rise rapidly. "Three-thousand... three-thousand three-hundred... oh my, it's rising faster. Four-thousand, two-hundred and seventy, you should be at least half-way there, correct captain?" He nodded, his muscles tensing as he power rose even higher, a hum in the air as his aura began to swell in size. "Six-thousand, four-hundred and five... seven thousand... seven-thousand five-hundred..." I crossed my arms and smiled, simply basking in the strength that he was willing to surpass everyone with, only with the desire to protect. "Say hello... to my full... POWER!" He roared, the aura exploding off of him and forcing me to take a step back.

"Auric Power, 4,280. Physical Ability, 4,260. Total power-level... 8,540!"

 **(Music End)**

"Oh my God, it's over _eight-thousand_!" Weiss screeched, hands in front of her face to shield her from the stinging wind. "Eight thousand!? There's no way that can be right!" Ruby shouted back at her. Raiden chose then to breath out calmly, his bursting aura dying out and his power dropping rapidly, muscles relaxing and the glow of his markings fading. "Whew... I probably shouldn't have done that," He said rather hoarsely, falling to a knee and coughing, wounds suddenly opening on his body and blood dripping from them. "R-Raiden, are you alright!?" Ruby shouted, rushing over and and checking on him along with me and Weiss. "Two of you, stand back," I said calmly, placing a hand on Raiden's forehead, concentrating on the flow of aura within his body. "I... haah... I can't use my 100% for too long... without it eventually becoming less of a good thing," he wheezed in explanation. "My aura just begins to overflow... to the point where it damages my own body."

"Stay still Captain, you've used up a large portion of your aura using your 100% power, stay still while I heal your wounds and restore some of your aura." The very least I could do was take care of his more serious-looking cuts, with his auric reserves being so massive, I wouldn't be able to fill it even if I was at full. His cuts began to quickly heal up as he used the aura I gave him, the rest of it trickling into his own reserves of aura, barely filling them at best. "Damn, Qrow was right... even after months of training, I still need work on myself," He sighed, getting up and cracking his back. "Thank's for that Claire, feelin' way better now. I should probably find a shirt if some sort, it's getting cold out here."

"Oh, take this until we find you a new shirt to wear!" Ruby said, un-clipping her red hooded cape, about to hand it to Raiden before hesitating a bit. Raiden caught on quickly and smiled. "Ruby, if you don't want to give it to me, then it's fine."

"N-no, it's not that!" She panicked slightly. "It's just... it's very precious to me..." She looked up with a smile smile and bravely held it out. "So I trust you with it. Don't sweat into it too much okay?" Raiden took the cape gingerly, almost as if he knew the true value behind it and put it on, and in all honesty, it looked quite good on him. "Thank you, Ruby. I'll make sure to take care of this. I've got my own pair of special items as well," He chuckled as he tapped his potara earrings, a small jingle heard. "Wow, this is actually really comfy! I'm gonna have to take a page out of your book and use a bit of your style one day." Ruby giggled and punched his arm. "So long as you're not ripping me off, then go for it."

"I heard that there was a fight that had happened here," I turned and grabbed one of my daggers, caught off guard by the sudden voice before realizing that it was simply Professor Ciara. Those eyes of hers always unnerved me, with the silver irises and the pure-black sclera, I had always assumed that she was a Faunus of some sort. What made me even more on edge was how I didn't even sense her approaching, her body leaking literally zero aura, something not even Raiden or I can do. "Professor Ciara. Good to see you doing well," Weiss bowed respectfully, something passing between the two of them. Respect. "Thank you. Now, what happened here? I was told that a fight had broken loose in the Courtyard and I was almost certain that my abilities would be needed to stop it."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Ruby said. "Raiden just got into a fight with my uncle, but it's done now!"

Raiden's face went blank as the Professor turned her steely glare on him. "What was the consequence of your actions?" Raiden looked like he was turning paler by the second as he was stared down, almost like he saw something in that cold glare of hers. "S...sorry Professor. Ozpin and Glynda kinda ignored me and let me off the hook, along with General Ironwood, so... yeah." The Professor only seemed to glare harder for a few more seconds before relaxing, a smile on her face. "Don't fret, I'm simply messing with you, Ryuka." He visibly deflated, laughing all of his tension away. Most of it, anyway. "Alright, you got me there Professor Ciara. Either way, nice meeting you, but I've gotta go and find a proper shirt."

"Be on your way then. I have a crowd to break up, and have a good evening." Before we could walk away, The Professor called out, "Oh, and best of luck in the Tournament from both me and your mother!" He gave her a thumbs up and walked towards the direction of the dorms, a few steps ahead of Ruby and Weiss. I made my way next to him, the white and red-clad girls too busy talking and idly following us to notice. "Captain, what's wrong?" I asked quietly. "You looked like you were about to pass out when she was glaring at you." He was silent for some time before he answered, "Seems like there are more of them than I know. Professor A. was right, it seems." To say the least, I was confused by what he meant by that, and went to ask another question.

"Sorry, I can't explain everything just yet," He cut me off. "But... something is going on behind the curtains, something bigger than any of us could be ready for." I put a hand on his caped shoulder, pushing aside my confusion and giving him my best smile. "I may not understand, and you may not want talk about it... but whatever it is, just know when it comes, you can count your team to be at your side." His tense figure loosened and he smiled back, albeit lightly. "Thank you Claire."

The four of us walked back to our dorm-rooms, sharing a couple idle conversations. "So Weiss, I'm not gonna lie, I think you've got one hell of a sister," Raiden said to her. "Hell, I think that she's pretty much on par with me!" Weiss shot him a haughty look and a smirk, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "But of course. I think it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say she'd be able to beat you." He shot her a very, very intense stare, one that caused her to paused as he added a very savage grin. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Princess." Both Ruby and Weiss got unnerved, and I had to do my best to fight a smile off of my face. He held the stare for a while, his eyes starting to glow like embers, until... "I'm messing with you, I'm messing with you!" He cackled suddenly, much to the relief of the red and white partners. Weiss of course angrily glared at him, embarrassed red blushing tinting her cheeks while Ruby was simply happy to be out of the way of Raiden's Wrath.

"D-don't do that!" Weiss snapped at him.

"It _was_ pretty funny in hindsight," Ruby whispered to her, earning an annoyed pout.

"Ah, we're here," I said as I realized that we were back at our dorm. "Ruby, thanks for lending me your hood again." Raiden took it off and handed it to her gently, the reaper quickly and smoothly clipping it back on over her combat-outfit. "No problem, you have a good night Raiden, you too Claire. Come on Weiss, let's try and fix our room before your sister sees anything out of place!" Weiss quickly waved a goodbye to both of us before Ruby dragged her away in a trail of rose-petals. "Haah... those two are great," He sighed, a content look on his face before he seemed to realize something. "Wait a minute, where's Kikoken?" Literally a SINGLE second after he said that, there was a loud **THMP** from the dorm a few meters away, and we both could hear a very faint, familiar and mostly pleasured cry off "A-aaah...!"

"... I think we found her Captain."

"Yeah, no shit."

Ignoring that, we went into our dorm-room and I couldn't help but grin at the sight of Oro still snoring on our bed in complete bliss. Raiden sniffed around the room, his eyes narrowing as if he was looking for something, or more specifically, smelling for it. "Huh, you actually changed the sheets?" He asked, mildly surprised. "With Oro sleeping on them, not to mention?" I smirked at him as I took my weapons out and put them away. "Please, he isn't that heavy, no matter how big his d... body is," I quickly corrected myself, my face heating up as my grin could only grow larger. "Spare me the tales of your obviously interesting _sexcapades_ with Oro," He sighed, flopping down onto his own bed after pulling a plain white shirt on. "I've already had more than enough accidental run-ins with you two to get a pretty clear idea of what you two... do."

"We do each other."

"Dammit, I already have to deal with Yang's puns!" He groaned, "And at least they're good too. Yours are shit."

"Suit yourself," I chuckled, shedding most of my clothing and slipping in with Oro. Even asleep, he quickly wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled into the crook of my neck, eliciting a giggle from me as I snuggled in a bit further, smiling before it slowly dropped off of my face as I began to process what Raiden had said earlier. 'Something big...' I thought. "You can ask if you want to, you know," He said, startling me. "Eh?"

"I know you've got some things on your mind about what I said earlier, and I can't tell you everything, but depending on what you ask... I'm willing to tell. You are my second in command, after all." I fidgeted with my fingers for some time while Raiden patiently sat that, legs crossed and an open expression on his face. "This 'Big Thing' that you said... does..." I cursed myself at my hesitation. "Does it involve my brother, by chance?" He sighed and scratched his head. "Not gonna lie, I'm not sure. I myself barely know anything, but when I think about it logically... there is something weird that's been going on in the past few months. There's been literally no crime whatsoever, the White Fang's gone completely silent, Grimm attacks have dropped to nearly nothing in the world, if the number of missions that hunters have been taking are any indicator, and where there are attacks, it's almost always mid-to-higher level threats. Hell, my mom was fighting a super-powerful Grimm on one of the more populated areas of Vacuo for quite some time before my uncle showed up to deal with the problem."

I nibbled on my lip, thinking about the White Fang. "For all I know, your brother could be part of this... whatever this is. I'm just saying, after all the events that took place, it seems way to suspicious for all of them to be happening in tandem. At the very least, it can't be a coincidence." I nodded in agreement, knowing and fearing the fact that he was very possibly right. "...I just hope that he isn't involved in this," I said. "He's already done too many horrible things to ever be in the good eye of the public, but this..." I trailed off, remembering the brother I had before he was consumed by rage and hate, the boy who would steal with a smile for us to survive, and would live to fight until our master took us in.

"Claire," Raiden interrupted my train of thought with a serious tone. "If it came down to the worst possible situation would you be willing to kill him?" The question caught me off guard, and I began to think about it. "I..." Realizing that I was starting to panic, I remembered that old breathing-routine that always helped. 'Inhale, count to four... exhale, count to four...' Opening my eyes I looked at my leader and answered confidently, "If I'm left with no choice, then I'll end his life without hesitation." Raiden's eyes softened as he himself let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry I asked you that," He apologized. "I shouldn't impose something so serious on you out of nowhere."

"Don't be sorry," I replied, "It's a more than sensible enough question."

"...Thank you for trusting me, Claire."

I smiled back, "Don't mention it..." Realizing that I was actually very drained from the several... activities which took place today, I yawned loudly and felt my consciousness beginning to fade. "Goodnight Raiden, thank you for opening up to me." He grinned and gave me a thumbs up. "Don't mention it."

 **Ornstein**

 **7:35 pm...**

I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck, testing my repaired and improved spear by twirling it around for a bit. It was remade beautifully, the cross-guard under the blade itself even stronger than before, lightning crackling across the length of the weapon constantly, my aura humming along with it as if it was part of me as it cast a soft golden-yellow glow in the room. My armor had been badly damaged in the battle against the Abyss, and ever since coming to Beacon, it too was restored to and even beyond its former glory, the Blessed Brass and Imperial Gold alloy shining the moonlight in the Amphitheater. Finally, my helmet shaped in the visage of a lion was lying on the floor by the arena. "It's been so long... do I still have it?" I wondered, setting my feet apart in my stance, spear pointed at the ground, back leg bent noticeably while my front was straight.

Closing my eyes, I imagined the past I came from, our kingdom torn asunder as my friends and I, even joined together, could do nothing. The thought filled me with such overwhelming fury, my eyes shot open and I thrust my spear forward, a massive bolt of lightning amplified by my spear tore through the air, even the protective barrier and almost ripped through the rest of the school had I not pulled back and stopped it, calming down and letting it dissipate. "Tch," I spat at myself. 'I need to use more control, else I risk destroying the school, and that's the last thing which I want.' I checked my scroll and looked at the time, realizing that I was about to be late to the meeting with Ozpin and the others. I picked up my helmet and was about to rush out until I stopped myself. 'Shit, I'm in my armor, maybe I should take it off in the case that someone spots me... you know what?' I gave another look at myself, smirking a bit as I relished the new, comfortable feel of wearing it.

'I'll see how fast I can really go. Been a while since I was able to let loose with my speed.' Setting my feet, lightning crackled around my body as my aura began to glow brighter. 'Go!' Taking off like a lightning-bolt, I sped through the door, each step I made leaving sparks that danced through the air. I laughed as I leaped into the air before jumping from building to building with ease. Spotting Ozpin's tower almost immediately, I leaped right towards the entrance, over the white-haired head of what I assumed to be the Atlesian Specialist which Ironwood was talking about. Ignoring the fact that she looked immensely pissed off, I raced through the door and managed to hop inside the elevator right before it closed. My breathing was barely any different, and even though I still had a lot of pent-up energy to release, that little sprint really helped.

A few moments later, I arrived onto Ozpin's floor, the doors sliding open. "Forgive my lateness Headmaster, had to dress for the occasion..." I paused as I looked at the new member standing among the group which I was normally greeted with: a shabby-looking human in a wrinkled grey suit, a collapsed weapon strapped to his hip and a short, worn-out red cape. Most importantly, he was directly in the face of Ironwood, his very posture threatening and everyone else looked incredibly tense. I locked my eyes to his dull red grey ones, and in the span of a second, our hands went to our weapons, ready to swing at each other. "Gentlemen, **please.** " A wave of... _something_... emanated from Ozpin, and both of us froze. "Qrow, this is that Special Case which I had messaged you about. Ornstein, this is one of my most trusted associates, Qrow Branwen."

Realizing that this man wasn't an intruder, I relaxed and put my weapon away, the spear folding in on itself and turning into a simple cylinder about half as long as my arm. Clipping it to my belt, I stuck my open hand out with a bit of a smile. "Forgive me, I just assumed that you were about to attack Ironwood. Pleasure to finally meet you, Qrow Branwen." He looked incredibly surprised before his clasped his hand into mine. "So... you're _the_ Dragonslayer Ornstein?" I grinned and gave a dramatic bow. "The one and only." Qrow sighed and took out a flask that smelled of tantalizingly strong liquor, my taste-buds watering at the very idea of downing it. After he seemed to finish it off, looking no worse for wear, he turned to Ozpin and said, "It's really gotten that serious, huh?" Ozpin nodded gravely, fingers knitted together as he placed his elbows on the table, looking incredibly tired. 'Does this man even get any sleep...?' I wondered.

"So you mean to say that there's even greater threats than just Her? We already have to deal with the Continental Grimm, who very few people can even go toe to toe with, not counting Raiden's Father, Braxton and Rei of course, the rest of the Deities are doing God-knows-what and now you mean to say we might have to deal with a threat from another timeline all-together!? Can someone please tell me that this is one hell of a nightmare that we're having?" He raged, aura beginning to roil around him. "Qrow, calm down," Rei said with a soothing voice, walking fearlessly up to him and laying a hand on his shoulder. "This means we've also got new, powerful allies standing by our side. They fight for the same reasons we do; to dispel the dark as much as possible." She grinned, fear completely void from her entire being as she looked at me. "I wouldn't be lying if I said that they match or even exceed my own power."

Qrow calmed down and gave me a suspicious look. "Stronger, huh?" I smirked and pointed a thumb at my chest. "Now, normally I am not one to needlessly brag..."

"Bullshit," Both Ironwood and Glynda muttered and I shot them a playful glare. "But," I continued, turning back to Qrow, "I'm more than capable of defending this cause with my unfathomable, immense power. I look forward to working with someone as respected as you, Qrow Branwen." I leaned in and whispered, "And, should our partnership allow it, I would not mind sharing a number of glasses with you at a Tavern somewhere." Qrow grinned widely, whispered back, "You think you can handle over ten shots?" I snorted at that. "Please, the stories about me might not say this, but I once drank three Taverns out of business within a single night..." My face somewhat fell in a bit of embarrassment as I finished, "Though, I ended up staying asleep for about a week or so." Qrow laughed and we clasped hands, shaking firmly. "I like your style. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ornstein."

"Introductions aside, I think we should get to the point of you being here, shall we?" Ironwood interrupted us, all business now. I nodded and took out a chair, sitting down upon it and crossing my arms, readying myself for the emotional dragon-ride I was about to embark upon. "Right then, now that we're all here, I do think that's it's time to tell you all the story... the story about how our lives got twisted upside-down, this might take a moment as I sit right here, and after this I'm going out for a beer." Rei burst into hysteric laughter and Qrow barely managed to contain himself, coughing madly into his hands. Glynda and Ironwood just rolled their eyes and Ozpin just did that little smile of his. "Alright, alright," I said with a small chuckle, "Seriously now. So you know all know who I am and who Artorias and Ciaran is, if the fairy-tales of the Four Knights weren't a dead giveaway." I settled into a serious mood, staying quiet for a few seconds as I gathered my emotional strength. "I am aware of the Great War and the Faunus War which have taken place in the past hundred years, and I know how traumatic that such conflict must have been for the entire world... but if you think that is war, then you all have seen nothing yet." The temperature in the room dropped, and everyone looked both intrigued and horrified.

"A war... worse than the Great War?" Glynda asked, her face paling.

"You heard me correctly. The war I speak of, one that every follower of the God of Sunlight took part in, that includes the Four Knights, took place roughly three-thousand years ago. Artorias wasn't able to find much regarding the War, but what he did find were bare children's stories. You may know this as the Fall of the Gods." Even Ozpin was completely shocked, the man sitting up straight. "The battle where Lord Grimm overthrew the Lord of Light?" I nodded grimly. "The very same. My comrades and I were in that same battle, the horrors of it reduced to a simple children's story-book. Not that I have any problem with it," I said quickly, feeling as if I had insulted someone. "If anything, I'm quite surprised that such a story was preserved for so long, granted in a much more censored form. That, if for the best though... much of the death and horrors is not for the faint of heart. Now, allow me to start right before point where the three of us were launched into your timeline... and where we lost a dear friend of ours."

* * *

 **Ornstein**

 **3000 Years Ago...**

"Do not let fear and darkness overcome thy hearts!" I roared, lightning spilling from every part of my ruined body, desperation and determination being the only things left fueling my every exhausted movement. At the very least, my spear was still very intact. "Fight with every ounce of power you have left! When that runs dry, fight with your heart! When even that fails you, fight with your very soul!" Every remaining warrior yelled back, obeying my orders and fighting to their last breath. "Brother..." Ciaran said, coughing blood from her mouth as she fought beside me. "I'm not sure how much longer we can continue to push back." I snarled and blasted more lightning at our enemies: Creatures of the Abyss, swarming over the walls and pouring into our city of Anor Londo, coming in all shapes and sizes, from giant humanoids, to the most twisted of beings, all of them wreathed in black miasma that served only to tear through my men like paper.

The majority of Lordran itself had been overrun by the Abyss, over three-fourths of the buildings of Anor Londo reduced to their foundations. Ruined corpses of the innocent civilians who we couldn't save either laid out for all to see or being devoured by the soulless monsters.

Artorias mindless screams of rage could be heard as he leaped into the enemy ranks, his body exploding with his own Abyssal Presence. He spared nothing, sword swinging wildly as he tore through every creature of the abyss in his way. "You heard the Captain! We will fight to the death: and we shall be victorious!" I grinned tiredly at our giant companion, Gough. Even with a broken arm, unable to wield his Greatbow, he fight right beside Ciaran and I, punching at the ground and sending the enemy flying by the dozen with his raw, physical power. Ciaran seemed to understand, nodded and slashing away with renewed force, her Golden Tracer dazzling all who laid eyes upon it.

The Silver Knights fought with everything they had, Sacred Silver blades and spears working with such efficiency despite every single one of us having not rested for months since the attack. The Four of us had it the worst: we had been doing nothing but mission after mission over the past year trying to dispel the darkness as much as we could ever since Artorias had nearly been taken over, yet with it growing so constantly beyond our control, it was only a matter of time before we failed. Even then, preparations were made for the day when we failed. Armies of Humans, Giants and Deities were brought to Anor Londo in droves, all of them aware of the doom that they would face, yet they fought like true warriors to the end. However... far too many have been slain for us to effectively defend the Citadel. Artorias impaled a Darkwraith, a Skeletal Knight of the Abyss, hooded in robes made from darkness, and flung it further into the mass of enemies, leaping backwards and ending up to Ciaran's right side, the Abyssal Aura around him fading and his eyes going from pure black to their usual dark blue visages.

His armor was badly damaged, hanging from his chest in tatters and revealing the deep wounds on his skin, blood coloring the armor with dark shades of red. "There's just too many of them," He wheezed as he slashed again. It cut through five creatures in a row like a hot knife through butter, but knowing the true full power of Artorias compared to what he did now... this was Artorias as his absolute weakest. "Almost all of my power's been drained, and I'm unable to pull off any of my stronger attacks." Ciaran grinned weakly and slashed again, her 'Phantom Strike' hitting a humanoid that was about to blindside Artorias and causing its rather insignificant wound to explode in a shower of black blood. "You giving up?" She asked him. He smirked and stabbed at a creature that caught Ciaran off guard. "Please, I'm just getting started!"

"Your confidence is somewhat worrisome with those wounds of yours," Gough quipped as he grabbed another Abyssal (my personal name, 'Creatures of the Abyss' is a bit of a mouthful, don't you think?') and crushed it like paper in his hand.

"That's quite rich, coming from someone with a shattered hand!" I shot back with a grin. All four of us together sparked something in me, and apparently the others seemed to feel it at well, fighting harder and harder as the battle went on. Quickly looking behind me after what felt like either hours or mere moments, I raised my eyebrows and realized that we were actually pushing them back. Not only that, but we seemed to be slowly thinning them out. "Artorias, think you can hold the line!?" I shouted over the roars and clashes of steel. He nodded quickly, shifting into a wider sword-stance and using strong, wide slashes to cover up the area I left. In turn, I leaped into the air and started to blast as many lightning-bolts, however weak, as I could while I looked at the Abyssal army. 'We... we actually stand a chance!?' I thought incredulously before I touched down.

"WE'RE WINNING! PUSH THEM BACK WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!" I screamed, every part of my body waking up, even if it was screaming in pain. Everyone fought with all their might as soon as they heard me, Giants wildly stomping and thrashing with their fists, the Knights of Astora giving it their all with their Blessed Swords, and of course our own Silver Knights doing their best. The spark in my chest turned into an inferno, lightning once again pouring off of me. Artorias glanced at me and smirked, the Abyss once again pouring out of him in the visage of a wolf's head. " **Combined Skill!** " We shouted, both of us raising our weapons high. " **LIGHTNING WOLF'S STRIKE!** " Cutting down with all of our remaining power, a massive blade of lightning, abyss, and air-pressure tore through the enemy ranks, at least a quarter of them gone. That being said though... "Shit, I'm on empty," Artorias wheezed, falling to a knee. The power once exploding from hi body was now barely simmering off of him like a thin, weak mist. "Artorias, get u-!" I froze as I realized that something was wrong, very, very wrong.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, stood stock still, muscles tensed and weapons barely wavering. There was this pressure in the air, one that choked me and felt like it was trying to crush my soul. 'Th-this sensation...!' Suddenly, every Abyssal started to part like the Bloody Sea. The pressure increased tenfold as the final Abyssal pair in front of us parted for... " **Hmm..., you don't look to be in such a good shape, do you Artorias the Abysswalker?** "

Said knight grit his teeth and stood up as best as he could, sword gripped in his hand. "Never thought you had the balls to face me once again... Manus, Father of the Abyss!" The being standing before us was about a foot taller than Artorias, roughly nine-feet tall then, and he was distinctly very humanoid. His skin was pure black, and his head looked normal as well, if it weren't for the lack of a mouth, black eyes with bright-red irises and two magnificent, bone-white curved horns protruding from his temples. He wore nothing but a pair of long, black, billowing pants and an equally black scarf around his neck. All of this revealed his bare chest which was positively bursting with muscle. I could see that even through his pants, his legs were monstrously well-built. Finally, there was the thin, black smog that was drifting around him, looking at it made me feel sick. 'The power of the Abyss, and so concentrated... this really must be him then! But he looks nothing like what Artorias had described him to be. No big twisted body, no crooked staff, and most importantly, no giant left arm. Though... his left arm _does_ look a bit different to his right.'

Indeed, that same arm, while equally muscular as the right one, had what looked to be small bone-like plating on his knuckles and fingers, almost like a small gauntlet of sorts. "You look quite different from when I last fought you Manus," Artorias mocked before pointing to a large scar in Manus' chest. "It it because you realized that your clumsy ape-like form of your cannot touch me?" A vein popped on the Abyss-King's head, the ground under his feet cracking slightly before he relaxed, chuckling. " **I'm unable touch you? If that's the case Artorias, then why is it that you're cursed with my power?** " This time, it was Artorias who began to loose his temper, the power of the Abyss wafting off both of them. " **Incompetent weaklings!** " Manus bellowed, every Abyssal standing straight. " **Leave Anor Londo and nurse your wounds. I will finish off the rest of these... worms. Now go!** "

In an instant they started to vanish into thin air by the thousands, all of them gone within the next few minutes. " **Those weaklings, even numbering in the millions couldn't conquer Anor Londo. Pitiful,** " Manus spat before his eyes drifted over all of us. " **That being said... I'll grind this place to dust within one hour using... hmm.** " He paused, a hand tapping his chin as he seemed to think to himself. "Okay, I've had enough of this! Die, Manus!" A Silver Knight shouted as he dashed forward, sword stabbing right at his face. I didn't even have time to yell at him to stop before Manus causally cocked his free hand back... and punched his armored head clean off of his shoulders, a loud *SPLAT* echoing through the battlefield as blood and bone showered a few unlucky individuals. Many shouted in surprise, shock and pure fear, not that I could blame them. Hell, my own legs were beginning to shake a bit, though that was probably because of how damn tired I was. "A single blow!?" Someone shouted, a human by the looks of it. "H-how are we to fight something that strong!? Not even the Dragons are this monstrous!"

" **Yes, that should be good,** " Manus spoke after a few more moments. " **About 5% of my power will be enough to handle all of you. Now...** " Dread washed over me as the Abyss swirled around him at a faster pace, arms spread out as his sides, his body so incredibly relaxed. " **Prepare to die.** "

* * *

 **A.N: Hello again! Honestly, I was rearing to put this chapter out for a very long time, but I feel as if such a thing were to take place, then things would get complicated. I wanted to save this chapter for a while as a bit of a backstory to how the Four (Three) Knights of Gywn entered RWBY, and of course I have to end it off on a cliffhanger. Kudos to whoever gets the Power-level reference from, and it isn't DBZ. Enjoy, and be sure to tune in next time!**


	20. Manus, the Grimm King? The wide Gap

**(A.N: And welcome back to the story guys. Just remember, I don't own RWBY and any other things which I use which clearly are not mine. We're going right back to where I left off as to not kill you guys. Thank you so much for the growing support to this story, and on the topic of that, I've got a bit of a surprise for you by the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoy!)**

* * *

 **[Into The Dark]**

 **[Chapter 19]**

 **A glimpse at Lord Grimm's Power!?**

 **The gap that can't be breached!**

* * *

 **Ornstein**

 **(3000 Years Ago...)**

After what he did to one of the Silver Knights, everyone hesitated, we've been fighting against him for at least an hour straight. Manus made what seemed to be a yawning motion (it was hard to tell with the lack of a mouth on his face), crossing his arms on his chest and closing his eyes. " **I will give you ten seconds. Then I will start to attack again. You know, for the supposedly greatest army in the world, you're all boring me.** " Manus stated, tapping his foot patiently. Gough was the first to snap out of it, barreling towards him and cocking a massive fist back. "You're going to wish you didn't give us _one_ second!" The giant boomed as his fist rocketed into Manus with a *BOOM*, sending him flying into a barely standing building, the structure collapsing like children's bricks. Gough was twice the height of Artorias, and well over triple the weight in muscle. All that raw power slamming into Manus... "Nice one Gough!" I shouted. "Everyone, heed my words: Move in with courage and take the greatest threat to our world down, right here and now!" Everybody cheered and sprinted forward, weapons raised high.

" **Time's up.** " Suddenly, the fallen building exploded, an incredible amount of wind, stopping us in our tracks and blowing us away. "Wh-this power!" Ciaran shouted, crossing her arms in front of her face before she was almost lifted off of her feet. Artorias was there to quickly catch her with his chest, wrapping his arms around her as he fell onto his back. Hell, even some of the giants were topped by the sheer pressure. When it stopped and I finally got to see, my heart jumped into my throat. Manus was causally walking towards us, his body completely unscathed. " **Well then, let us begin!** " Without another moment wasted, he appeared right in front of me, his fist embedded in my stomach. I fell right to my knees as pain exploded through my chest, the feeling of molten lava right where my lowest ribs were. 'The bastard got ribs six and seven!' I roared through the agony and stabbed at his smug face, lightning weakly blasting from the tip of my spear.

He barely even moved his head, dodging smoothly before his hand moved in front of my face... and he flicked me in the forehead. My entire head was whipped back, feeling like a great-hammer was just swung right between my eyes. Even as my vision went blurry, I leaped away on instinct only for him to grab my ankle, grunting at he slammed me bodily into the floor like a doll. I felt some bones shatter even further, blood spilling from my mouth as I tried not to scream in pain. "Get your hands off of my brother!" Ciaran shouted, dashing forward and disappearing with speed alone. " **A test of swiftness then?** " He chuckled. Out of thin air a flash of gold raced for his neck, and once again he dodged it with such each ease. Ciaran appeared once again, a grimace on her face as her legs tensed and she disappeared again. Instead of just one, there were hundreds of golden streaks cutting through the air.

" **Ah, this is much better, Ciaran the Assassin!** " Manus laughed as he made the smallest of movements, wasting no energy but slipping by every single cut. " **However, we both know that this is just a distraction, now isn't it?** " I widened my eyes as I saw Ciaran appear in front of him, the telltale flash of her Silver Tracer aimed right at his heart. " **Fine, I will give credit where it's due,** " He sighed, stopping the blade with nothing but his finger-tips. " **Had I been in my old form, I would have been struck by you several times over.** " Ciaran's eyes were wide as her deadliest attack was stopped like nothing, her body shaking slightly. " **But that is not the case anymore. I've surpassed all weaknesses.** " He raised his free hand and curled it into a fist, wisps of dark energy floating around it. " **Now die.** "

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Artorias bellowed. "WOLF-LEAP!"

Artorias, uncaring of his state, flipped through the air and slammed his sword into Manus, The Abyss King catching the blade with his bare hand as if he caught a ball thrown by a weak child. Still, it at least had its intended effect, Manus and Artorias sliding away from the prone Ciaran. " **Oh come now Artorias,** " Manus said in a disappointed tone, " **Don't tell me that you couldn't save enough of your energy for me?** " Artorias spat in his face, a heavy glob of blood splattering on his cheek. "Blame yourself for that. If you weren't such a coward, you'd come straight for me and fight me one-on-one... but you're scared." Manus' face remained the same, but a vein visibly bugled on his forehead. "You're scared because you know that I... that _we_ can beat you!" Artorias was silenced with a savage punch to his face, his head whipped to the side with a sickening ***CRACK***. "ARTORIAS!" Ciaran screamed, disappearing and reappearing in front of Manus.

" **Oh please, I already beat you before, you want me to do it again?** " He chuckled, raising his other fist. "NOW ORNSTEIN!" I grit my teeth and raced to Manus' unprotected side, stabbing at his head while Ciaran slashed at his ribs. " **A desperate pincer-attack I see, followed up by...!** " Artorias and Gough sprinted forward, sword and fist thrusting for Manus' open chest. They both slammed perfectly, a resounding *POW* echoing through the ruined citadel. My eyes widened as I saw what happened: he didn't budge, not giving an inch of ground. Black smog began to roil off of him again, a vein bulging in his forehead and his eyes burning red. " **...You mean to say that I pulled that out of my arse, and you actually used that completely obvious move?** " His grip tightened on my spear, the metal beginning to warp. " **Now you're not just boring me, you're beginning to piss me off.** "

He proceeded to lean back and headbutt Gough's fist, shattering bone as the giant roared in pain, falling to a knee. "Damn you!" Artorias growled, rearing back and slashing at Manus' neck. The blade didn't even breach his skin. " **At the very least,** " Manus huffed, " **You've provided some entertainment to me. Playtime's over now, and you're all of no use to me anymore.** " Another wave of darkness exploded from his body, blasting the four of us away with such ease. Tired, exhausted, and broken, the four of us could barely make it to our feet, the only thing not shattered being our spirits. Manus put his right foot in front, his side facing us a bit more as his open palm was pointed at us. Out of nowhere, the palm of his hand opened up like a literal mouth, and I felt myself beginning to sink. Looking down, I saw what looked like a pitch-black portal, every inch of my body lighting up in even more agony. " **I will send you to a time where my rule has completely conquered the world. The Age of Dark will forever take hold of this planet, and you will die in that future, knowing that you were powerless to stop me. Now BEGONE, WORTHLESS KNIGHTS OF GWYN!** " The Silver Knights rushed to our aid, arms outstretched to try and pull us back, but whoever got close was killed instantly by spheres of pure dark energy tearing through them. "Stay back!" Ciaran shouted, "Don't come near us or you'll die!" Manus laughed as he walked towards us, standing right on the edge of the portal, squatting down and looking at us.

We were all about chest deep now, writhing in pain from the magic of the portal. " **Ah, yes, I forgot about that feature. If I send too many people in, they'll all die as my power automatically rises with the amount of people I attempt to send away. Considering your current states, you will all die... unless one of you decide to give yourself to me. That will certainly lessen the strain on your bodies, if you wish to live-** "

"I will go."

Artorias, Ciaran and I looked at Gough, shock on our faces as he stared Manus in the face as evenly as he could. "Gough, it's me he wants!" Artorias said desperately. "Oh shut up, I'm the leader of you guys, I'm much more valuable to him. It's my duty to protect you and the kingdom!" I argued back, panic laced into my tone. "All three of you are idiots, I'll go," Ciaran bit back urgently, "Manus would want to smartest of us, not you three muscle-for-brains fools!"

"My life-long comrades," Gough said gently, "It is alright, you don't need to act tough. I count as five people, so I will go, so long as _you,_ " He glared at Manus, "Promise not to kill them, hold true to your word, and mean it when you plan to send them to the future."

There was glee in Manus' voice as he said, " **Terms accepted. Now you're _MINE!_** "

Tears sprung to our eyes as we watched him rise out of the dark, held aloft by Manus. " **Well, I think that you'll work wonderfully for me, ta-ta, you three!** " He waved mockingly, the three of us sinking faster. "Gough, please! Think about what you're doing, he'll torture you for the rest of your life!" The giant simply smiled back, shaking off his destroyed helmet and revealing his wise, white-haired and bushy-bearded face, chock-filled with scars, but ultimately happy. "Like I said before, it is alright. I know that you will find a way to move on, and grow strong once more without me. I just have one request for you three."

He fixed a hard glare with his grey eyes onto Manus. "If Manus is still thriving wherever he sends you, after you regather your strength... please, destroy him." I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, shaking the tears out of my eyes. Ciaran hung her head, teeth bared as tears slid down her cheeks while Artorias let them fall, blinking from time to time. I looked at Gough and said, with every single ounce of emotion and truth I had, "I promise, my friend."

" _We_ promise," Artorias and Ciaran said, nodding at him. "Take care, my friends," Gough said, a tear of his own escaping his eye. "Don't get too drunk, you hear? Artorias and Ciaran, stay together and love each other until the very end. We'll meet again in the afterlife, and share some drinks there. What do you say?" Tears were pouring out of my eyes at this point even as we sunk neck deep, but I mustered a smile as best as I could. "You're paying, you hear?" Darkness eventually crept over my vision before it turned into a flaming blue light, the sensation of falling engulfing everything I knew, everything except the cry of anguish from my heart and soul.

* * *

 **(Present...)**

"And then we ended up being spat out here, after Gough sacrificed himself to ensure that we were kept safe." I breathed shakily before realizing that my vision was incredibly blurry from some trapped tears. I wiped them away and steadied myself, pushing away those bad memories to the back of my mind. Everyone around me gave me looks of comfort. Glynda actually strode up to me and rest a hand on my shoulder, silently supporting me. "One thing though, looking back on that moment... why has the age of Dark not taken over? As much as it pains me to say it, we were handily felled." Out of nowhere, Rei began blushing madly, fighting to keep a love-stricken smile off of her face. This was not lost on Ozpin, whom grinned and had to stifle a chuckle.

"Well, contrary to what the story implies, we did not fall to darkness. When the Deities of Ancient Vale fell, the other Deities of Old Vacuo and Mantle went into hiding, four brave Deities from Mistral rose up and chose to fight. Wyzen, Deity of Food. Yasha, Deity of Sorrow. Augus, Deity of War. And of course..."

"Asura, Deity of Wrath. My husband." My eyes went wide as all the dots finally connected. Raiden's aura containing hints of divinity, Rei's husband being a Deity from the East, and courtesy of Artorias, stories of a man with six arms killing even the high-level Grimm with ease. "A-Asura!? The Asura, the Six-Armed Destroyer?"

"...You know him?" Glynda asked, just as surprised as everyone else in the room.

"Know him? He was the one who trained us before we became the Four Knights!" Rei for once was also incredibly shocked, but the expression on her face told me that she was shocked in a pleasant manner. "Yes, I remember him clearly too. Copper skin with multiple orange markings, incredibly well built, monstrously strong... hell the first day we met him, he challenged us all to come at him, and we lost after he toyed with us for an hour straight."

"Wait, that doesn't make sense," Ironwood stated, "Asura barely looks that much older compared to you physically, but he's been around for an extra three-thousand years, which is basically thirty human years as to how quickly Deities age." Rei made a small 'ahem' before saying, "Well, after the four of them beat Lord Grimm, every god had shifted in to some form of hibernation, where their body turns to stone and they stop aging during that time 'till they decide to awaken. It helps them regain a lot of strength and recover from almost any injury, so long as they go into that state before they die. It's quite an interesting technique that they learned to use."

"Wow..." Rei said, grinning from ear to ear, still blushing like crazy. "So he trained you Four, huh? That does beg the question, how old are you guys?" I looked at Rei with a raised eyebrow, genuinely wondering what our ages were. "I think that last I checked, I was about 210, I think. Yeah, Artorias is 210, Ciaran is 200, and I think Gough was about the same age as Asura at the time, 230 or 240 years old. Heh, how old is the raging bull now?" Rei smirked and replied, "400, technically five years older than me." I sighed and chuckled, eyeing Rei for a second. "So you're 35... and Glynda is 36?" Glynda turned a bright shade of red and fixed an adorable glare at my face. "When in the hell did you figure that out?" I grinned and scratched my nose, replying, "Well, I was once walking past you and Ciaran having a conversation, and I just so happened to hear from you that you were about a year older than Rei. I didn't think Rei you straight-out say what her age was, but apparently not." I couldn't help but run my eyes up and down Glynda's... rather well-curved form. "Still, you look _very_ good for someone thirty-six years of age-!"

A powerful semblance-enhanced *SLAP* across the face sent my senses reeling, but I couldn't help but burst into laughter as I fell onto the floor. "Well I do suppose that this is a much lighter ending to our rather heavier conversation," Ozpin chuckled.

 **Kagome**

Randomly looking through all of the combinations which we could make in the match-ups. "I have to admit, Watts is very good at what he does," I nodded, looking at the program along with the Black-Queen Virus. Cinder rolled her eyes and picked at her nails, slightly damp black hair spilling over her shoulders. If there was at least one thing that I was jealous of when it came to big sis, it was that hair of hers. "Watts is an annoying prick who I'd crush underneath my heel if Lady Salem didn't find him to be so useful. I'm somewhat worried that I agree with you on that matter too." I laughed and sat next to her on the bed; everyone else was running about with errands, training, or just relaxing... in Azure's case, training and relaxing, if you catch the meaning.

"So this 'Semblance Awakening' of yours... do you feel any different?" Cinder asked as I idly laid my head down on her lap, still scrolling through. "It feels like I've not just gotten stronger, but like there's this limit that's been broken within me. Gods, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night because I swear that my power's calling for me to use it." I paused, realizing that something was wrong, and I summoned G.W.A.T, having him grab me an ice-cold bottle of water as I realized that scalding-hot sensation was building up in my chest, my aura beginning to waft off of me. G.W.A.T himself started to flinch and twitch, his muscles fluctuating between their normal size and becoming massively bulky, his crown turning into horns before turning back to normal. He quickly threw it to me and I drank it greedily, the burning fading and the two of us turning normal.

Cinder was looking at me with a raised eyebrow, her eyes glowing slightly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I hesitated and answered, "U-um... it does get a bit difficult to handle every now and then. The extra reserves of aura sometimes threaten to burst out, and it gets a bit harder to control when I'm thinking about using it." Cinder hummed and put a finger on her chin, pondering the information in that way she always did. "How would you feel if I gave you the authority to let loose when the time is right." I felt my eyes widen along with my smile. "Wait, really!?" She nodded, a smile on her own face. "We are going to have to cause some extra damage, and I can tell that your new-found power has quite the destructive potential, so I'm giving you the permission to let loose when the plan is hatched."

I laughed in joy and hugged her, practically squealing, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Something came over me and I stopped. "Wait... what about the room with the Relic? What if I accidentally destroy it? Lady Salem won't be please if I accidentally destroy it."

"The room can only be unlocked by a maiden, so I think that not even _you_ will be able to bring harm to it, much less the Relic itself. If anything, you should be able to help find it, if nothing else." I grinned and hugged her again while she chuckled and pat my back gently. "Anyway, back to deciding the fate of the world," I said, detaching myself from her and going back to randomizing matches on my scroll. 'Time to see how far you've come, Ryuka. Your match-up isn't against any low-level grunts anymore!'

 **Kikoken**

 **(The next afternoon)**

"There's no way I'm not the only one noticing a bit of a pattern now, right?" I said, bored as I checked Impact's Blades and Dust-ammunition. "What do you mean by that?" Raiden asked, glancing at me before returning to his shadow-boxing. "I mean, we were the opening match-up for the Tournament itself, now we're the opener for the doubles round too. Ain't that a bit weird to you too?" Raiden grinned and raised an eyebrow at me, and instantly I knew something was coming. "As weird as all of those moans and the sound of creaking furniture coming from the dorm next to ours?" I felt my face explode into fire and I kept my mouth shut, turning my back towards Raiden, knowing that he was aiming a massive grin at me.

"...Was it that loud?"

"It was that loud," He confirmed. "Or more accurately, _you_ were that loud."

I snorted out of my nose before biting back, "Shut up, you were louder when you were with Kago..." I froze as I realized my mistake, Raiden going silent as he continued to shadow-box, putting a bit more effort into his punches before all of a sudden his fist tore through a metal locker with a *CRUNCH* like it was paper, making me flinch a bit as I saw the markings on his skin glow violently, even through his clothing. He gingerly took his hand out of the hole he made and breathed in deeply. "...I'm sorry about that," I said a bit weakly, standing and walking up to him slowly, putting a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed and placed his hand on mine, turning his head towards me; that same calm, happy face that I looked up to stared back at me.

"Don't worry about it sis," He said back before looking at the locker, "Though, I should probably worry about _that._ " I chuckled with him as he flicked the ruined Locker, the entire door falling off. "Anyway, you ready for this?" I punched my brother in his well-built arm lightly. "Please, we were born ready to fight."

"Damn right," He nodded. "Let's go."

We both walked out into the sunlight, people cheering as soon as we were in their sights. Raiden and I came to a stop just outside the arena before we both leaped into the air, Raiden flying with his Aura-propulsion and me using my semblance. The cheering only came on harder as we landed in a clean front-flip in perfect synchronization, directly in front of our opponents. "You know, I should've expected something like that from the two of you," Pyrrha laughed, idly checking her weapon and shield. "Ooh, I just can't wait to fight with people this strong!" Nora squealed excitedly, pink lightning crackling around her as a response to her emotions. Raiden unbuttoned his jacket and allowed the sun to hit his bare chest, also very well built, his orange markings revealed to the world.

"So Nikos, I guess that this is the time that we get the rematch you always wanted huh?" He said, cracking his neck as his weapons covered his arms in a series of clicks and whirs. "Indeed. I'm looking forward to showing you just how strong I've become since then. I'm not going down easily this time," She said seriously, placing her shield on her back and two-handing her sword, which was strange, even for her. "Okay, that's the spirit!" Raiden laughed, hands up in a basic fighting stance. "Nora Valkyrie, eh? I can tell that you're gonna be one hell of a fighter right off the bat, huh?" She winked and propped her hammer on her shoulder, her stance wide and suited for a big swing. "You'll find out soon enough, just hope that you're ready for all o' this!"

The entire arena environment outside the center had turned into the Volcanic Floor setting, the ground charred black and entire geysers of lava shooting out of said floor. Spires and boulders of stone were also burnt black, some of them even in the process of melting away. 'Wow, it's getting kinda toasty already,' I thought to myself, tugging at my v-neck shirt and my chestplate. 'It probably would've been a much better idea to have wore a little less of this thick clothing.'

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is going to be one exciting start to the Doubles Round; Representing team Juniper, we have Nora Valkyrie, and the Invincible Girl Pyrrha Nikos! Finally, representing team Rock, we have the brother-sister duo of Kikoken and Raiden Ryuka!" Cheers and the stomping of feet echoed through the Arena once again, to the point where the entire structure had begun to vibrate. "With all that being said, let the match... begin!"

"You take on Nikos, I'll take care of Valkyrie!" I shouted, spinning Impact to deflect pink grenades that were shot our way. "With pleasure, just don't die too easily," He chuckled as he raced towards her. I kissed my teeth in a bit of annoyance before turning back to Nora, who had also completely ignored Raiden in favor of charging towards me. 'Okay, let's get right to it then!' I thought, sprinting right back. Nora's body was suddenly alive with sparks and her pink aura suddenly exploded off of her, her power and speed increased immensely in a split second yet the potency of her aura didn't increase as much, strangely enough. "Auric Arte: Spark Charge!" Without enough time to put my semblance up, I grit my teeth and took the blow to the chest full-force, the top of the hammer thrust out like a spear. My body locked up from the surge of electricity and I was lifted off of my feet, pain rocketing through me as I slammed into the charred floor. She didn't let up, rushing again and firing off even more grenades while I was down, and even then I was barely able to stop the explosions with my semblance.

'Ow... one hell of a start,' I groaned inwardly as I forced myself to my feet, muscles still seizing up. 'Shit, I shouldn't have underestimated her semblance. Still though, where is she getting that electric charge from? I know she needs one in order to boost her strength, and it can't be coming from her weapon either.' I shook the damage off as best as I could and as she was charging right at me, I shot my open palm forward with a shout of "HAAH!" a burst of my semblance blasting her backwards, though she still kept her footing very solid.

"Noooot gonna lie, I didn't think I'd hit ya that hard!" Nora said with a grin as she shook the damage off; clearly she can take a lot of punishment. "Well at the very least," I said, my jaw locking up for a second before I continued, "You can hit hard. I'm getting tired of all these grunts but you're actually the first decent challenge outside of my team I've had since coming to this school! Granted, I haven't fought Yang as of yet, but still, I wasn't wrong whit what I said about you. Let's continue!"

"Sure!"

Again we held nothing back, both of us standing astride and taking massive swings at each other, me with blinding cuts and spins with Impact and Nora with her Greathammer. I barely managed to dodge a swing at my head, slashing at her stomach and getting a wince from her, but she stood there and took it, winding back as she glowed with pink sparks and aura again. 'Oh shit, get away!' My body screamed at me, and I gladly leaped away from her hammer crashing into the floor, entire boulders and slabs of stone flying into the air from the sheer force. 'She might not have the best aura control out there... but her raw strength is just insane!' Again she leaped into me, her hammer thrusting out and nearly hitting me again, a quick push of my semblance saving me this time.

'Now counter her!' I managed to hit her cleanly on the face with the flat of my blade, sending her reeling. Following up, I swept her off of her feet and switched to my hand, punching her right into the floor. "You're finished!" I roared, gripping my weapon and wreathing it in aura once more. "Spark Charge!" Sparks exploded off her once more and she leaped away, striking me in the face and sending me flying again, more agonizing electricity tearing through me. She didn't let up, hammering me over and over like a nail into wood, her grenades going off every now and then only further adding to the damage.

'Screw this, I'm going all out!' I roared again and shot my foot straight into her chin with a sharp _*SNAP*_ , her entire body whipping back. Taking advantage of the moment, I activated my semblance and picked up a boulder, lifting it and dropping it right on top of her, burying her and buying myself a bit of time. Leaping into the air and floating, I called upon every ounce of strength I could muster, I fired off as many spheres of aura laced with my semblance all around the battlefield, from ten, to twenty, to thirty of them. Nora threw the boulder off of her without any strain and switched to a grenade-launcher, firing one off at me. "Auric Arte: Black Hole Barrage!" One sphere intercepted the grenade in an explosion of purple and pink while the rest of them all rocketed into her at the same time, the impact causing a massive _***BOOM***_ that rocked the arena to its core.

Touching down, I noticed that my breathing was a bit strained and I started to feel gassed-out, but I ignored the feeling as best as I could, steadying my breathing and regaining my stamina. Looking at the Aura-Display, I made a small, annoyed "Tch," when saw my aura was lower than hers, 61% to 69%. Turning my eyes back to Nora, she was shakily getting back on her feet but grinning like no tomorrow. "Wow, you can hit really hard too?" I sniffed and flicked my nose with my thumb, smirking back at her and whipping Impact out again. "Damn right I can. Now that our warm-up's over, let's get down to it!"

 **Pyrrha**

Out of all of my fights, roughly up to four-hundred of them in my life, I've faced several heavy-hitters. Some of them made my arms go numb from trying to block them like Yang's punches, others making me feel like their attacks were like armor-piercing blows. Raiden was without doubt the hardest hitter I've ever faced in my life, stronger than even my own father, every single blow of his lifting me off of my feet or blowing me back like I was some limp piece of paper. By the time Raiden started to fight, it was clear that he came out with the intent to straight-up box, drilling me with a right straight that flung me almost clear off the edge. Raiden being Raiden let me come right back to him, and then we went on from there.

"Good to see that you still hit hard!" I said with a wince as I deflected another heavy jab to the face, my arms ringing. 'It's as if a power-blow from Yang was a light punch for Raiden,' I thought as I slashed up, just barely scratching his cheek. "Good to see that you still hit fast," He replied, countering another slash and landing an overhand-right into my temple, white flashing in my vision. 'I have to move, get out of his punching range!' I told myself as I leaped to the side, taking my shield out again. Raiden very casually walked towards me, his hands still up in a basic guard before he seemed to cover the distance in a moment, the image of his fist barreling towards my face. I panicked and slashed wildly as many times as I could, trying to keep my distance from him. He either dodged or idly blocked with his gauntlets, and it didn't help that they covered his entire arm from fingertip to shoulder. Ducking another stab from me, he rose up with a vicious uppercut to my chin.

'If I use 'that' right now, then I'm not sure if I can last the rest of the fight if I don't beat him with it,' I thought, grimacing as another jab crashed into my shield. Quickly looking at his left shoulder, I saw it roll as he was about to jab and took the chance, stepping in and bashing his jab away with my shield. "Auric Arte: Armor-Pierce!" Coating my sword in my aura, I shot forward and finally managed to land a clean shot right on his chest, sending him stumbling back. "Hey, not bad at all! Still a bit light though," He commented before rushing back in at me, wailing away with even more force. I grit my teeth and put my shield up, coating it with a bit of aura to at least somewhat dampen the blows. Waiting again and watching his movements, I saw that he liked to fight from middle to close range. 'He doesn't seem to have any quick ranged attacks, so I'll just keep even further away with gunfire.'

Parrying an overhand-right, I back-flipped away with a little assistance from Strength-Augmentation, aura trickling into my legs and core as I continued my retreat. Raiden didn't seem to chase after me this time, taking his time and leisurely jogging to me. Switching Milo to its Rife form, I knelt and opened fire, aiming for his legs and head. His eyes began to glow and aura began to trickle from them like a soft flame before he made quick shifts and head-movement to dodge the majority of them, others grazing him and cutting through his clothes. 'Observation, huh? He didn't use that against me before... but his development of it is incredible. Still, it's useless if you can't actually react to the attack.' This time switching to my spear, I kept on my toes as I rushed at him again, using quick stabs and slashes, forcing him to block and dodge.

'Perfect, he's concentrating on dodging, now move in!' I quickly shifted to the side and dashed in with Milo in sword-form, slashing at his leg and forcing a stumble from him. 'He's off balance, time to whale into him!' I grit my teeth and charged into him, shield crashing into his head. He tried to throw another straight at me, but being off balance rendered his attack inaccurate and weak, his fist just barely scraping my head. I continued the assault, constantly moving around and slashing from all angles. Even off balance, he was still disturbingly calm, managing to throw more and more punches from those weird angles, getting more and more accurately very quickly. I winced as a left hook sharply cut my ribs, even if it was a graze, his knuckles encased in metal still hit incredibly hard.

Quickly glancing, I suppressed a smirk as I saw that I was managing to push him back, closer and closer to the edge, something he didn't realized. Ignoring the pain, I attacked even harder, Milo cutting through the air and slashing away at Raiden. 'Almost there... just a bit closer...' I narrowed my eyes as I charged forward and bashed my shield into his chest slightly winding him and giving me the opening I needed. "Mystic Arte: Magnetism Overdrive!" I shouted, finally unleashing the technique I had been working on for years. I channeled almost all of my aura into Milo and pushing my semblance to its maximum power, bronze aura exploding from the blade as I thrust it into his chest with all my might with a roar, blasting him away on completely off the arena. 'I've won!' My pride soared as he flipped head over heels plummeting to the ground... right up until he completely halted his momentum midair, aura seeping off of his body.

He kicked off the air and landed in a tight flip, toes gripping the ground through his sturdy sneakers. He actually looked somewhat winded, a bit of blood dribbling from his mouth and nose, a bruise quickly forming right on his chest. Normally I would've asked if he was okay or said sorry, but something that I haven't felt in years had begun to overtake me, something that a much younger me had used and felt constantly during the earlier stage of my career. Pride, and arrogance. "You look tired Raiden, want to take a break?" I said with a mocking smirk. He raised his eyebrows at me in surprise, his own grin slowly crawling onto his face. "Huh... what did you just hit me with?"

"I just pushed my semblance to its limit and concentrated both it and my aura around my weapon. I may not be able to control your weapons due to black iron being non-magnetic, but my magnetism is now strong enough to affect the iron in your blood-stream." I raised both of my hands into the air, willing my bronze aura to roil around me, the pose of a champion. "You're _not_ beating me this time!" The crowd roared in response, ecstatic at seeing the old champion of the Mistralian Arena return. "Granted, I don't have too much time in this state, but it's more than enough to beat you." Without wasting another breath, I dashed forward again, swinging down with everything I had. Raiden stood his ground as his right gauntlet began to glow. "Auric Arte: Raging Strike!" His fist shot forward and clashed with my own blade with a *BANG*, this time resulting in him getting knocked back.

Still two-handing Milo, I continued my onslaught of slashes again, this time forcing him to ball up and tighten his guard to the point where he couldn't have thrown anything effective. I snarled as I began to wale on him even harder slashing stabbing, even kicking viciously up until I had his back against a boulder. "If you're just going to ball up like that, you might as well not fight at all!" I roared as I pummeled his guard even harder, the rock that was supporting him cracking violently. 'Take this! I never got to show you this in our first fight... but this is the blow of a Champion!' I gripped Milo even tighter and raised it high above my head. "OLYMPIAN BLOW!" like Nora with her hammer, I swung straight down and completely shattered the stone, sending him flipping head over heels, stone and embers flying into the air.

Despite all of that, his guard was still up, but his arms were shaking slightly now and I could see the blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He wasn't standing anymore though, a knee on the floor as most of his face was hidden behind his arms. "Tch," I spat, resting my boot right on his guard and leaning forward. "Is this really all you have? Hell you were much stronger last time we fought, did you get weaker or something?" Getting no answer, my eyes flicked to the Display. My aura was slowly draining away and was at 71%. Raiden's was for once not that far ahead, his own reserves at 79%, probably due to the internal damage, something aura naturally has a hard time defending and healing.

Suddenly, this wave of pure pressure washed over me and my body leaped away on instinct, alarms ringing in every nerve of my body. Raiden stood up now and opened his guard slightly, revealing his face. Though there was blood flowing from his nose and the corner of his mouth, his face was dead serious, orange eyes glowing as he walked towards me. " **Those are the blows of a champion?** " He asked, the sheer pressure around me almost suffocating. " **You think that a blow like that is enough to take me down?** Since you decided to go and get serious, you made me pumped up too. I think that I should start taking you a bit seriously now." Aura and pressure billowed off of him, small stones being lifted into the air around him before being crushed by the sheer power. I spat and walked forward, shaking off the slight tension and charging at him. "You're all talk Ryuka, I've got you against the ropes and I'll blow you away for sure this time!" Twisting my hips and stabbing forward, Milo shifted into its spear-form and shot forward.

Raiden quickly ducked under it, his eyes down slightly, but that was the only opening I needed. 'Stay right there, I'll give you another shot!' I shifted back slightly and was preparing to thrust right at his chest, which should have been enough to knock him off of his feet again. Should have.

 **(Cue music: Hajime no Ippo-Black and Blue)**

Raiden just seemed to close the gap in an instant, barely two feet away from me. His eyes were glowing, staring me down as he rose up, his arms in a much more natural stance before he tensed up. " **Auric Arte: RAGING SMASH!** " Everything seemed to go in slow motion as his left fist draw back, aura violently bursting from his weapon. 'An uppercut from so far away? No, it's a hook!' I thought as the arm began to swing. I blinked and it exploded into my jaw, head whipping back as a few droplets of blood flew from my mouth. I couldn't even think as another punch rifled right into my stomach, pain rocketing through me as I was slammed bodily into the ground.

He didn't give me any time to rest, winding up a leg and kicking my side, my body crashing and rolling away. I felt like I was going to pass out, my lack of concentration shutting down my Magnetism Overdrive, the aura around me fading away. "Is that all a champion has!? Get up then, Champion!" He growled grabbing me by the neck and hauling me up onto my shaking legs. Taking a look at me, he scowled and and rocked me with a body-blow and a hook to the jaw, my vision spinning... scratch that, my entire body spinning. Even still, I moved on my own, leaping into the air and twisting as Milo shifted into a rifle. I just instinctively pulled the trigger as much as I could, loading each round with semblance-enhanced power, yet he stood there and swat each of them away like flies.

"Stand your ground and fight me, coward!" He roared, leaping after me and grabbing my ankle my entire body slammed into another boulder. Again he dragged me to my feet and stood there, beckoning for me to hit him: I obliged, even in my hazy state. He planted his feet as I thrust and slashed with my sword, weaving out of the way. His scowl deepened as he countered a slash, a right cross blasting my cheekbone with an audible _***CRACK***_. I clenched my teeth and kept on trying to hit him with everything I had, and I actually managed to do it too, managing to stab into his ribs. "Magnetism Overdrive!" I shouted again, blasting as much aura as I could into my weapon in an attempt to blow him away.

To my shock, he tensed his entire body up, muscles as hard as steel while he stood there and took it. " **Iron Body!** " It felt like I was trying to push an entire _mountain_. Blood gushed from his nose, but he still didn't budge. "That isn't gonna work on me anymore, you're too weak!" He moved in and hit me with another heavy jab, sending me stumbling back away from his right cross, thank the Gods. I knelt as he swung at my head, using my rifle and opening fire at his chest point blank, every shot hitting him. Even then he seemed only further pissed off, swinging his foot up into my chin and knocking me back down with a chopping right. I held my ground as best as I could, turning my head to face him.

Again he disappeared, ending up at my right side. On instinct, I brought my shield out to protect my face as he drew his fist back. 'It'll still hurt, but at least I've got my shield in the... way... wait-!' Pain exploded through my side as his knuckles embedded themselves right into my liver. Bile threatened to spill from my mouth, but even if it didn't, I dropped my shield and dropped, clutching my side. Body-blows were bad enough, but Liver-blows were the worst, your mind stayed fully conscious and aware while the rest of your body just shut down in agony. If I were just a normal human person, that punch would have been more than enough to completely tear an entire chunk out of my side. "Hmph. Looks like you're just about finished... but you've still got a pretty decent level of aura. Lemme fix that real quick." He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to the nearest outcropping of Fire-Dust and propped me up on it.

Without another word, he planted his feet and, excuse my Mistralian, beat the shit out of me. He wasn't even throwing recognizable punches anymore, just casually violent swings to my face, arms, ribs, stomach, damn near everywhere. Even if I couldn't see properly anymore, I what I could see wasn't the savage grin of the boy who beat me for the first time. It was the stone-cold face of someone who wasn't doing this for pleasure or fun: it was the face of someone who was ready to end a life. " **MYSTIC ARTE!** " He bellowed, shifting his stance from orthodox to Southpaw (right hand in front), his right winding back for that unpredictable swing. 'He's.. using his dominant hand!?' Even incapacitated, I knew that something that powerful could literally kill me if I didn't attempt to protect myself, so I threw my hands up into a tight guard, channeling what was left of my aura into my arms. " **GOD-SLAYER _SMASH!_** "

 **(End Music)**

It felt like my arms were being ripped from my sockets as the punch seemed to connect like cannon-fire before his fist engulfed my face. Everything turned white, and I couldn't feel anything at all. Hell, all the pain just seemed to vanish. 'Hah... so, this is the gap that I can't cross just yet. I... I want to become even stronger. Some way or another Raiden... I'll finally close that gap between us!'

 **Raiden**

Calming myself down, I stood over the unconscious form of Pyrrha Nikos, blood running down her nose, armor badly damaged and bruises quickly forming. Chuckling, I knelt down and gently picked her up in a bridal carry, walking towards the edge of the ring. "You fought damn well, Nikos," I said to her, something in my gut telling me that she was listening. "You might not be as strong as me, but I won't deny that you're one of the few who pushed me. Hell, you actually injured me a bit too. It's a shame that I never got to see you fight Yang... but anyway, recover from this, learn from this, get even stronger, and we'll fight again." Even though she was broken and battered, I saw a small smile grace her lips, making me grin.

I didn't even need to beckon for any medics, they were already rushing onto the battlefield with a stretcher for me to lay her down on. "Take good care of her!" I called out the them as they hustled off. Cracking my neck, I looked at the display, my aura now at 74%. 'Damn, she hit me much harder than I expected,' I thought as I coughed a bit, a small drop of blood running down my chin. I wiped it away and started to walk towards where Kiko and Nora where fighting it out, only to have my sister launched bodily into me. I barely caught her in time, the force that she was thrown with sending me skidding back. She growled and tried to hop out of my arms, her eyes glazed over as her legs buckled, my arms quickly shooting out to catch her.

"Sis, calm down!" I said as she struggled weakly, barely able to get out of my grip. "Kiko, stop it, you're too damaged," I said a bit gently, finally getting her to snap out of it. Her breathing was ragged and one of her eyes were swelling shut, some of her armor had been crushed or ripped off completely, her chestplate a torn mess. "She's... her auric power's pretty decent, but it's her... raw strength that's unstoppable!" I looked at Nora who was whistling casually, standing in the center. She wasn't without damage either though, a couple bruises on her arms, legs and face. When she spotted me, she grinned and waved, I couldn't help but return it before talking to Kiko again.

"Her semblance allows her to use electricity to amplify her physical strength, but where is she drawing the electric charge from?" I asked, putting a hand on her back and feeding her my aura. "She's... she's able to use up her aura to generate her own electrical charge, it's so strong that even being touched by her while she uses it feels like you were struck by lightning. However... she does have a weakness."

"Lemme guess, she can only use it in extremely short bursts in order not to burn through her aura, and you were trying to counter it by striking after she uses it?" She nodded. "Yep, pretty much on the dot. So how do you want to do this?" I thought for a few seconds before I grinned, taking off one of the Potara Earrings. She caught on quickly, shooting me a dirty look. "Oh hell no, heeell NO!"

"Come on sis, can we please, just this once?"

"I'm serious this time. Even though our fusion is an imperfect one, its power is still strong enough to badly injure her." I sighed and nodded, agreeing with her. "Fine then... you still good to fight?" She snorted and flicked her nose. "Please, don't think that I'm out for the count just yet brother." I grinned and bumped fists with her. "Right. I say that we come in constantly from all angles, don't give her any time to rest. She's always been more of a fighter who attacks in quick, powerful bursts rather than a sustained assault." Kiko rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, grabbing Impact again in its Twinblade form. "You got it boss-man." She eagerly walked forward with me. "Go high, I'll go low," I muttered.

No words were shared as we rushed Nora, her grenade quickly aiming and firing at the two of us. I ducked under and Kiko leaped over the oncoming grenades, Kiko firing off orbs of gravity while I went toe to toe with Nora. "You managed to take withstand my sister, I'm impressed!" I told her as I dashed to her side, my jab blocked by the shaft of her hammer. "Yeah, well she's super strong, but she burnt herself out a _biiit_ too quickly," She giggled back, a lightning-wreathed hammer crashing into my guard. 'Damn, even with black iron, a metal that supposedly isn't conductive to electricity, I can still feel the shock,' I thought as I leaped away, letting Kiko fly in from behind, striking her like a bird of prey diving for its meal (wow that got quite descriptive).

Once again dashing in from her side, I launched a roundhouse-kick at her head, whipping her body to the side. Even then she still fought back, swinging her hammer at an absurd angle from below, again forcing me to back off. "Gotcha right where I want you! Spark Charge!" She leaped right after me and struck me in the chest cleanly, lightning pouring into me as I was thrown right into one of the lava-geysers. "Shit, Aura Burst!" I shouted as I thrust my hands out, releasing a blast of aura from my body that kept me in the air and blew the lava-spout away. 'Damn, I'm still feeling the shock too, had I been a normal hunter in training, I'd be out for sure,' I thought with a grin. 'In terms of raw strength, she surpasses even Pyrrha!'

"I'm not done with you just yet!" Kiko shouted, constantly moving and attacking from all angles, her speed blinding as she chipped away at Nora's defense. She was handling it well though, every hit that landed on her being minor or completely superficial, the well-timed hammer-swings stopping Kiko from letting loose. "Can you stay still for at least a second so I can hit you again?" Nora asked, an annoyed look on her face as she missed, her hammer whizzing by Kiko's face and smashing into the ground. "Dear Gods, are you asking me to let you kill me!?" Kiko asked as she struck Nora, this time cleanly in the ribs. "Thanks, you did it!" Nora replied, confusing Kiko. "Shit, she stopped moving," I muttered as I saw why: Nora's leg was touching Kiko's, and sparks where flying off of said appendages, meaning that Kiko's legs were numb. Nora reared up and smashed her hammer into Kiko's face, the momentum carrying her directly into the ground.

On instinct, I flew in and bodily slammed into Nora, knocking her back and giving the two of us some breathing-room. "Kiko, you alright!?" I called, keeping an eye on Nora but ensure my sister was at least okay. She groaned and pushed herself up, the entire left side of her face quickly turning purple. "Okay... ow, it even hurts to friggin' talk," She said, "I'm getting really annoyed. Let's just end this." I laughed and pat her shoulder, my aura starting to roll off of me. "Sure, why not. Style?"

"Style," She agreed, her own aura rising.

" **COMBINED MYSTIC ARTE!** " We shouted, auras exploding in tandem, hers surrounding her in a crackling purple sphere and mine engulfing me in a bursting flame. " **Brother-Sister Aura Blast!** " We fired our aura-blasts at the same time in a stream of orange and purple. Nora didn't even have time to get out of the way, the beam engulfing her and sending her flying directly into the spectator-shield. "And the winner by double-knockout... the brother-sister duo of Team ROCK!" With the cheers came the pride that I rarely felt, Kiko and I raising our arms in victory. "Imagine if dad could see us now," I said to Kiko, embracing her in a hug. She laughed and lightly punched me in the gut. "Please, dad would never miss this. He's almost definitely watching right now, you can count on it." Chuckling, I nodded. "Yeah... you're probably right."

 **Ciaran**

"Such strength really is quite unnatural, even for a hybrid," I said, examining Raiden. "You can thank endless training in combination with his heritage for that," Rei laughed, crossing her arms in pride. "My daughter isn't a slouch when it comes to power either." I thought on that for a moment and I came up with a question. "Wait... why is it that I can only sense the Aura of a Deity coming off of Raiden, while your daughter appears to lack this? They were both... conceived... by you and Asura." Rei sighed a bit sadly, leaning on the rail. "Indeed. We aren't sure why, but... my daughter takes almost nothing from my husband. If anything, she takes the majority of her traits from me." I smirked and pat her shoulder getting her attention as we started to walk. "That isn't a bad thing, now is it?" She lightened up a bit and chuckled, nodding at the statement. "It isn't that I'm disappointed with her or anything," She explained, "I'm just worried for her feelings... she's trained just as hard as Raiden has, trying her best to catch up to him. That's why she always pushes herself to the limit early in every fight that I know."

Thinking back to when I was 1600 years old, I remember how unbearably prideful and cocky I was, the memories bringing a bittersweet taste to my mouth. Bitter for my arrogance when I didn't deserve it, sweetness for how Artorias was the one to change me for the better. "At the very least," I spoke up, "She hasn't let her power go to her head." Rei laughed at that one, clearly having thought of something related to that. "Believe me, you won't have to worry about anything like that. When Kiko was training to go to Haven Academy in Mistral, I made sure to let her know that she shouldn't be cocky to any extent, especially when there are always people who are far stronger than you."

Suddenly, there was this immense pressure that filled the private booth, power rivaling that of even Artorias. I quickly whipped my Tracers out, leaping to my feet and scanning the room. Glancing at Rei, I noticed that she was far from worried; if anything, she looked completely ecstatic, and when I saw why, my breath was caught in my throat. Standing next to her was a figure clad in roiling orange aura, his hair short, white and spiky, his extremely well built torso and back filled with pulsing orange markings, and finally his eyes glowing pure white. This person had the aura of a Deity, but most importantly, I knew who he was, and I knew very well. he was leaning on the railing, his face calm and smiling as he looked directly at Raiden and Kikoken. "I can help but calm down when I look at them. They've gotten so strong, don't you think Rei?" She smiled and leaned on him. "Yup. Took you long enough to contact me."

"Sorry, was busy helping Braxton out with a particularly strong Goliath up north." He turned to face me, his face still smiling. "Ah, Ciaran. It's so good to see that you and the others are alright." I couldn't help myself and I dropped to a knee, bowing as my face split into a smile. "I'm honored to meet you after so long... Master Asura." He walked up to me and said, "Rise. I am not your teacher anymore." I laughed and embraced him, Asura returning it. "Now that introductions are done, there's something I need to discuss with Ozpin," He said seriously, catching our attention. "Is it bad?" Rei asked.

"...It is regarding Salem's plan to destroy Beacon Academy."

 **TWBY Continued...**

* * *

 **(A.N: Finally, the first technically unofficial introduction of Asura from Asura's Wrath! Yes, I crossed over Dark Souls, RWBY, and Asura's Wrath, because I personally felt like they could all ties in wonderfully with each other. There have been other Dark Souls-RWBY crossovers out there, but I feel like they don't get the attention that they deserve, which is why I chose to widen the Crossover pool. And yes, there ARE the other Deities from Asura's Wrath... I just haven't introduced them yet ;)**

 **On a final note, I'm making plans for a brand new story! I'll be posting the first chapter of it soon, and I may work on it even more after the planned Hiatus when Into the Dark reaches the end of RWBY's Vol.3. as for what the new story is... Hajime No Yang, Fists of Flame! Make sure to look out for it, peace out!)**


	21. Basically Filler! The fullest of filler!

**(A.N: Happy new year everybody! Sorry this took so long to publish, but it's finally out and I want to thank you all for waiting. This chapter isn't as long as the others and is more of a setup leading into the finals, so call it filler, unfortunately. Also, okay wow, wasn't expecting Hajime no Yang to take off as quickly as it did, and I'm happy! That being said, upload schedules will change. I'll be transitioning between a new Into the Dark chapter and a HNY chapter every few weeks, which gives me time to further think about or flesh out each chapter. All that being said, enjoy the new chapter!)**

* * *

 **Into The Dark**

 **Chapter 20**

 **The history of the God and the Wizard...**

 **Extra training never hurts!**

* * *

 **Ruby**

"I mean, did you have to use _that_ much force on Pyrrha?" I asked. Raiden chuckled and actually blushed a bit, scratching his cheek. "Well... I just got really excited by how strong Pyrrha became, and I felt like I needed to get serious. It's kinda a bad habit of mine."

"But still though, you two looked like such badasses when you were fighting!" Yang said, pumped up. "With that new Technique that Pyrrha learned and that final blow that knocked her out... what kinda punch was that anyway? It started like a hook but ended up being a mix between an uppercut and a hook like..." Even with several years of boxing experience up her sleeve, along with a multitude of knockouts (no surprise there), Yang with all her talent had trouble pulling off the destructive punch, making it look awkward in her execution. "What exactly is that move?"

"Well, here's the thing," Raiden began, getting everyone's attention. "When it comes to both weapons and empty-handed combat, how many people are prepared for an assault that comes directly at your center-mass?" Everyone raised their hand. "Now, how many of you are caught off guard when an attack comes angled from below when you aren't jumping in the air?" Everyone promptly put their hand down. Even when in the air, upward aiming attacks were hard to pull off, but incredibly effective as sneaking past most guards. "Here's the thing though, especially in the case of an empty handed attack, it can be hard to pull off something like an uppercut because you have to get quite close to the person. However, with the Smash I can-"

"It's called the _Smash?_ " Oro asked, an eyebrow raised suggestively before Raiden punched him in the gut (of course Oro was laughing even through the pain). "I can utilize the same kind of power you'd get from the uppercut or hook with the range and speed of a jab. When you add aura into the mix, the destructive power isn't just increased, but also the potential range of it as well." Demonstrating, he went into an orthodox boxing stance as he started to bounce lightly. Suddenly, his left dropped low before it shot outward and upward with a quick trail of orange aura and a quick *WHOOSH* sound. "Pretty neat huh?"

"Pretty neat?" Yang asked, "You've got a signature punch of your own! People love that kinda stuff. Besides, I've got my Dempsey Roll and one other thing that I wanna try in the finals."

"Who said you were gonna make it to the finals? Remember, I'm in the tournament too, and if we fight I might just have to go all out." Raiden asked, smirking at Yang. She crossed her arms and smirked right back. "If we _do_ fight, you'd _better_ go all out. It's the only way you have a shot of making it to the finals. And if we fight in the finals, well, you'd better be ready then." He chuckled and held out a hand. "You're on Yang." She took it and they shook firmly, the agreement of a well-fought battle coming their way along with the question as to the victor between the two. "Well, if you two are done talking to each other," Blake interrupted, "I think we should be looking at someone who we'll definitely see in the finals."

She of course was pointing at the two members of Team Dark who were in the doubles-rounds. Kagome of course was the first, but standing behind her was, surprisingly, Rachel. She was dressed in her red and grey samurai armor, her grey katana now having shifted into a simple-looking mace, strangely enough. "They look like they've been struggling in their past fights," I said, wondering why the others were so worried about them. "They're doing it on purpose," Raiden replied swiftly. "They always make themselves look unassuming during the earlier stage of combat while managing to do enough to pass. When it comes to a higher stage like this however... then you'll see why they're as feared as my team back in Mistral."

All of our eyes went back to the two of them, my heart starting to beat a little bit faster as fear started to creep up in me. Just as I felt that, Kagome looked directly at me, her eyes pure black as a grin that I could only call pure evil split her face. It was like there wasn't any distance between any of us, her face right in front of mine. Something else happened: Raiden put a hand on my shoulder and that feeling of fear vanished. Raiden was staring right back at Kagome, aura lightly wafting off of him as a fierce look was shot at her. She scowled and looked back in front, the grip in her spear tightening. "What... _was_ that just now?" I asked him. "It goes under many names. Killer-Aura, Conqueror's Spirit, Surge of Murderous Intent, they all are a bit different for every person who manages to use it. It's difficult to fully explain, but it's like you project your strongest emotion outward. For me, it's my rage. For Kagome... it's blood-lust."

I couldn't really say anything as I looked back at the arena, wondering just what was going to happen...

 **Artorias**

"It's been far too long Artorias, Ornstein,' Our old mentor said with a small smile, firmly shaking our hands. He was still very youthful in appearance, but the amount of scars on his body told an old tale. "Good to see that you're still alive and kicking old man," Ornstein laughed, delighted to see him. "You have all grown very well. Especially you, Artorias." I blushed like a child and muttered, "Thank you." Ciaran of course knew very well how much I looked up to Asura, more than the rest of us actually if I was being honest, and she nudged me with a grin. "But you still lack training!" In the blink of an eye, he flicked all three of us in the head simultaneously, a painful sting that left us clutching our heads.

"Now now," Ozpin chided as he walked into the office. Asura turned and actually flinched, his eyes drifting down in... shame? "I understand that you care very much about your students, but I believe it's time to get to matters at hand, old friend." Asura kept his eyes down as Ozpin pat him on the shoulder, pure kindness in his gesture. So why was Asura acting so... ashamed? "Right... well, for starters," Asura began, "Salem has been commanding the Grimm to stay out of conflicts as much as possible and continue to grow their numbers. Grimm have been getting more and more powerful as time pass, far faster than they should be. The Abyss is growing stronger and stronger as their population continues to increase. I wasn't entirely sure about this at first, so I asked Braxton to come along with me over to Atlas."

"What did you find there?" I asked, this strange feeling of horror setting into my gut.

"...Orion."

Ozpin's fingers gripped the mug so hard that it had begun to crack rapidly. "So that sly devil is still alive, hmm? I suppose that I didn't put him down well enough the last time we came to blows."

"Hold on," Ornstein interrupted, "As in one of the Continental Grimm?" Asura and Ozpin nodded gravely. "The very same. Orion was one of the old kings of Mantle when it was first created. However, he was a mad king whom slaughtered his people if they ever questioned his rule. Like the other Continental Grimm, he had forsaken his humanity and plunged himself into darkness. When Braxton and I went to find him, and we did find him, we fought." Asura pointed to a giant crater-like scar that seemed to be rather fresh on his belly's lower right side. "He managed to nearly punch a hole through me. Even if I wasn't using my absolute full power, it means that I was right. The normal Grimm aren't just becoming deadlier, the Continentals have had an exponential growth in power as well. Even the weakest of them, Tyrant of Vale, is now an even match for the three of you."

"And pray tell Master Asura, why does this make the situation worse?" Ciaran asked.

"Because Salem has plans to send an army of Grimm along with a Continental to destroy each Hunter Academy to find the relic. Don't even get started on the White Fang." The imminent threat at once seemed to bear down on all of us far heavier than before, the crushing pressure not allowing any of us to breathe. Someone who was powerful enough to injure Asura? An entire army of Abyssal Creatures? The scenario seem far too similar to what happened to the fall of Anor Londo. "As it is, Tyrant is to be the one responsible for the destruction and capture of Beacon, that much we found out."

"But you're here now, even if it's an aura-projection," Ornstein said hopefully, "Which mean that you must have beaten Orion." Asura, to all our shock, shook his head. "Actually, we're still fighting him right now. More specifically, Braxton is currently holding him off while I'm contacting you." As soon as he said that, Asura's image began to waver, like wind was attempting to blow him away. "Tch, Orion's actually managing to give Braxton some trouble. I cannot talk for much longer, but I will say this: as soon as we are done dealing with this, Braxton will be over in Mistral while I'll head over to Vale as fast as I can. When I do arrive..." He turned to look at all three of us. "Get yourselves ready, I'm going to be training you three. You'll all need to attain the level of strength that can let you fight the Continentals one-on-one. You've recovered well since the Fall of Anor Londo, but you still have room for growth."

The thought of training with Asura again both excited and scared me to no end. "Rei! Tell my Son and Daughter that I love them, and I'm coming over soon." He quickly wrapped his hand around her waist and kissed her deeply, his wife reciprocating instantly. Ciaran blushed and averted her eyes from the scene while I coughed into my hand, both of our eyes meeting with a knowing look. Even embarrassed, Ciaran still spared a grin for me. "Right then," Asura said after they had... ah, finished, "I'll be off. Take care of yourself and... goodbye Ozpin." Again was that face and attitude of shame. Ozpin looked almost touched, a small, genuine smile on his face. "Come back in one piece, old friend."

With that, the God of Wrath vanished, leaving the five of us in the room. "Allow me to cover the Goliath in the room," I spoke after a bit. "Why was he acting that way?" Having greatly looked up to Asura, it upset me to see someone so strong have such a look on their face. Ozpin himself turned a bit sad, turning his chair so that he was facing the great window. "You are all aware of my curse, yes?" The three of shuddered slightly as Ozpin formed a small pinprick of aura at his fingertip. Though it was small, it radiated the power of countless powerful warriors whom Ozpin had been reincarnated from. "You should also do well to remember _who_ brought such a curse upon me."

It didn't take us long to figure out what he was implying, and the thought rocked my core. "Wait, you mean to say that Master _Asura_ was the one to place that curse upon you!?" Ciaran asked, shocked and conflicted like the rest of us. "He wasn't the only one to do it obviously. Your Lord Gwyn had also done the same along with a few of the other Gods." I honestly didn't know what to say; for Asura, for our own Lord _Gwyn_ to do something so cruel to an ally, even if he couldn't stop Salem in his first life made no sense. "However, I do not blame Asura. The more powerful Gods at the time had to find someone to blame when Lord Grimm took up an apprentice, and as the wizard whom was constantly warring with Salem, they chose to heap the fault on me. Asura during then was... misinformed, lied to by his fellow Gods, and in a fit of wrath, he took part in cursing me. He may not have been a major God back then, but he was a young, immensely powerful one, no doubt."

Ozpin sighed quietly, a tinge of sadness in his voice. "When he found out that I was simply the scapegoat, he came rushing to me with tears in his eyes, begging forgiveness and attempting to rid me of my curse by himself. When he found that he was unable to do it, he went to war with the Gods whom cursed me. Even to this day, he searches for a way to rid me of my curse, be it through his training, through magic, or through any other means at his disposal." He shook his head and stood up. "He practically tortures himself for what he did, even when I tell him that I bear no ill will for his actions, the poor man. Besides... having an immortal soul does have quite the number of benefits. I do have a task ahead of me, and while my time in this body is running out, I'll do as much as I can until I find another successor. Until then however..." He turned to the four of us with a grim smile. "Before Asura returns, I suppose that it's up to us to ensure that nothing happens to the students of the school."

 **Kagome**

"Ma'am, so you're sure about giving me the permission to no longer hold back?" I turned and leveled a smirk at her. "Just ensure that they do not die. Put them into the hospital, show Raiden and his new friends what he's up against." Rachel nodded and grinned savagely, giggling like a hyena under her breath (granted, that was her Faunus trait). I breathed out and stretched, telling myself to relax, my heart starting to beat out of my chest as I began to feel lightheaded. This always happened to me before combat, and not out of fear: out of excitement. That look of fear from that silver-eyed girl enticed me to no end, even if it _was_ spoiled by Raiden. Speaking of which... 'He's most certainly gotten stronger. The Deity within him always leaks out when he becomes enraged, but now it's become much more... prominent. Has he reached his Awakening as well?'

I kissed my teeth in annoyance and smirked again. 'No, he doesn't have any knowledge of an Awakening. He only recently unlocked his semblance anyway, and it takes years of training to reach the next level. I am stronger than him, stronger than anyone here!'

"Let the match begin!"

My first opponent, a bulky man in full blue Cobalt Armor and a red broadsword rushed at me, fast for his size. 'His aura is concentrated more towards his legs, but the lack of auric defense is made up for by the armor.' It meant absolutely nothing to me as I summoned G-W.A.T, the Stand swatting the blade away as it was thrust forward and countering with a right. The punch shattered his helmet and blinded him as I made my move, dashing in and bringing my spear down on his head with a spine-tingling *CRACK* sound. As he was reeling away in pain, I held my hand out as my black aura coalesced into my palm. "Auric Arte: Deadzone Blast!" Flinging it at him, the explosion sent him tumbling into the Ruined City Sector. He stood up, looking confused as he pat himself. "That didn't hurt!" He laughed, gripping his sword as his own aura poured into the blade. "Soul Geyser!" Stabbing the blade into the ground, the floor beneath me rumbled and I quickly leaped away as a spout of pure aura erupted.

I still hopped around quickly avoiding the other streams of aura that exploded from the ground, keeping an eye on him. 'Hmph, wide open!' I thought as I sprinted forward in a zigzag motion. "I have you right where I want you Kuroken!" He yelled as I was about a meter away, ripping his sword from the floor and up into my chin. "WORTHLESS!" I roared as G-W.A.T appeared and grabbed his arm, savagely twisting and breaking it like a twig. He screamed in pain as he fell to a knee. "H-how!? My aura is still...!"

"Because of my semblance," I cut him off as I put my heel on his chest and stood on him. "Your auric defense is 'Gone Without A Trace'. Now, be eliminated!" G-W.A.T grabbed him by the neck, lifted him up and promptly threw him into a building with a resounding *BOOM*, the structure falling crashing down upon him. His aura without its defensive ability could only drain itself to heal him, and with the several broken bones and lacerations through the chinks in his armor, his aura practically vanished, all but 2% remaining. 'Look at that, down in fifteen seconds. A new record for me, I guess.' The crowd cheered as I raised a closed fist, a pose that spoke of pure dominance and victory.

"RAAAAAGH!" I looked over to my left where Rachel was fighting her own opponent, whom was downed and vulnerable. " _ **MYSTIC ARTE: EARTH-BREAKER!**_ " Her mace covered in scarlet aura smashed into her opponent, and I instinctively jumped up. The blow shattered the ground like glass and tore through her opponent's aura like paper. The very air itself was split with cracks from her power: the ability to create and control an earthquake. Entire boulders were thrown into the air, trees ripped from their foundation, hell the _foundation itself_ being crushed into dust. When said dust settled, Rachel's opponent's armor had basically disintegrated, their body twitching from the overload of damage. Even from the distance I was at, I could see some broken ribs and a leg. 'She held back, thank the gods,' I sighed a bit in relief. The last thing we needed right now was a premature death.

"...L-ladies and gentleman, we appear to have a new record!" The fat professor said, still immensely stunned. "This was the fastest ever match in the entire history of the Vytal Festival, lasting a total of Twenty seconds: to the winner, by brutal aura-depletion, is Rachel Bloodhound and Kagome Kuroken of Team DARK!" I smirked and looked back up to where Raiden and his ever-so-jolly crew, and while they all quickly filed out, Raiden had stayed standing, his arms crossed as he stared down at us. "Do you want me to deal with him?" Rachel asked, cracking her neck and gripping her mace. I quickly looked back at her, making her freeze in place with a sharp glare. "Do not. As powerful as our team has become, you are still no match for Raiden. Besides... he's mine."

I licked my lips and looked back at Raiden, a small scowl on his face. Without effort, I leaped right up into the stands, landing directly in front of Raiden. Though his fists were clenched, I could tell that he wasn't stupid enough to attack me. "Alright, what do you want now?" He spat. "I'm already really tempted to punch you in the face, but I'm in a pretty good mood today." I purred a bit and put a hand on his shoulder, his eyes looking at it like it was a stain. "Walk with me." As we walked to the exit I had begun talking to him. "Raiden, please reconsider my offer I made a while back. You can come back to Haven Academy, with me at your side." He snorted in pure disgust. "Why would I want you of all people at my side? You already got me thrown out Haven because you knew I became stronger than you. That old bastard Lionheart didn't hesitate to expel me and my entire team too, so why should I trust you? Hell, why are you even bringing this up now?"

I paused at that. There was no way I was going to tell him about everything, but I didn't see the harm in teasing him just a little. "Well... let's just say, I have big plans, plans I'd hope that you'd join me with. You're useful, and I hate to see someone like you go to waste. Besides... you'd be smart to know when someone has you outmatched." He raised his brow with a cocky grin. "You sayin' you're stronger than me now?" I smirked and let just a touch of my awakening reveal itself, the skin on my hand turning grey with black, vein-like markings. Raiden's smile was wiped off of his face very quickly, every part of his body tensing up before he quickly stepped away, his hands up in a defensive posture. "Scared?" I laughed before I saw the look on his face.

He was far from scared. His eyes were slightly wide and his pupils smaller than normal, a massive grin on his face. This was the look of Raiden ready to enjoy a fight. "Looks like I underestimated you Kagome," He said with an excited voice. "You've gotten really strong." His hands dropped back down to his sides as he managed to reign himself in. "Heh, I'm impressed, I think we might finally be even when it comes to raw power. I don't know what you just showed me, but whatever it is, I'll be looking forward to facing it. Still though, fuck you and your deal, whatever the hell it is." He put his hands in his pockets and began to walk away, while I could only stand there, shocked. "You aren't the only one who's got a new level of power, so be very careful with who you try to threaten."

My nails bit into my palm as I clenched my fist hard, blood spilling soon after. " _...Bastard...!_ "

 **Ciaran**

"...Master Asura could never do something like that," Artorias said stubbornly. Even though we were sitting in the lounge, the three of us felt far from relaxed. "Artorias, get your head out of your ass," Ornstein snapped, "He _did_ do it, it _happened_ , Ozpin's existence is just proof of what he did. I don't think I can ever forgive him for something so... low." Artorias shot out of his seat with an angry look on his face. "Asura was the one who taught us how to be righteous, to respect all mortal life!" I sighed and interrupted the two of them, "Both of you, stop bickering." The two of them quickly shut up and looked at me. "...Look, I am as shocked as the both of you are about it. But..." I turned to Artorias and spoke, "You have to understand that Asura did curse Headmaster Ozpin, and he did break the rule of a God cursing a mortal. Brother," I turned to Ornstein this time, "You have to understand that it was an accident, a mistake. We all saw the remorse upon his face, and we all know what he'd never do something like that unless he genuinely believed that his actions would benefit all of mortality."

I breathed and continued, "Yes, what he did was wrong... but he did it for the betterment of mankind. If he hadn't done that, who's to say that there would've been anybody to truly halt the Age of Dark? If Headmaster Ozpin _wasn't_ given an immortality, who's to say that the Four Relics wouldn't have fallen into Salem's... into Manus' hands? Imagine: the souls of the four strongest beings in Lordran, combined with the power of Manus. Had Ozpin not existed, we wouldn't have a world to look forward to." Both men deflated and looked a bit ashamed, and I had to hide a smirk at the fact that I was the one to get them under control. 'Gough would be proud.'

"I'm... sorry for my biased thoughts, my friend," Artorias said.

"No no," Ornstein coughed awkwardly, "You weren't in the wrong, I simply jumped to conclusions rather blindly." Artorias smirked a bit and cheekily said, "You do have a tendency to do that."

Ornstein rolled his eyes but muttered under his breath, "Fair enough, cheeky bugger."

I shook my head and laughed at the familiar absurdity of the situation, Artorias and Ornstein joining in soon after. "Anyway, who else is excited for Master Asura's training?" I asked sarcastically. All of us shivered. "I still remember getting chased by three dragons in nothing but a pair of pants for 'endurance and speed' training," Ornstein said. "I remember having to use a damned tree as a sword while Asura had a pack of dog-sized demons claw at me. I think I still have the scars," Artorias chuckled. "What about you Ciaran?" I hummed and thought for a bit before I came to a particularly unpleasant memory of training under the God of Wrath. "...well, he once forced me to dance." Both men's faced contorted into horror. "He... forced you to dance?" Ornstein asked in horror, and for good reason. Unless it was with Artorias, I absolutely despised dancing. "While I was in an active volcano, no less. I'm almost one-hundred percent certain that Asura is trying to kill us."

"Is that supposed to surprised any of us?" Ornstein deadpanned, eliciting another laugh from all of us. "Fair point. Still though, I'm not going to lie, I _am_ quite excited to see what we'll do when we start training with him again. Hell, we might get a lesson or two on the uses of aura, seeing as we're now able to use it." Artorias opened his hand and let his midnight blue and dark purple aura swirl on his palm, fascinated by it. "I'm still quite surprised that we Deities had unlocked our aura so long ago, yet we never knew it could be used for defensive purposes. Come to think about it, we _have_ gotten much stronger ever since our recovery. I'm interested to see what happens when we're finally given the chance to go all out."

"Well, you have to remember," I spoke, "We've basically just come from a war about two months or so ago, constantly fighting in our worst condition. In a way, we're now used to fighting in such a terrible state and have grown greatly from the experience."

"...would you like to test that out?" Artorias asked.

"Eh?" Both Ornstein and I asked.

"There's most likely nobody using the Combat Room right now, so I don't see why we can't go down and have a spar, like good-old times."

Ornstein leaped out of his feet and whipped out his spear in its dormant form, grinning from ear to ear. "Hell yes! We still have a score to settle Artorias, and I'll see to it that we settle it now." Artorias was caught off guard from Ornstein's sudden burst of gusto before he grinned as well getting up and taking out his own dormant sword. "Well, I don't see why we can't." Even I was getting a bit excited, smirked and putting my hands on the hilts of my Tracers. "It's settled then. Let's go, shall we?"

"I will be the one supervising you three," All of us turned to see Glynda standing at the door, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. "Just to ensure that you don't end up destroying the school while you three duel it out." Well, all looked very, very swell.

 **Raiden**

"Nine-hundred and ninety-nine... one-thousand!" I breathed as I came down from my hand-stand push-ups, having worked up a light sweat after my warm up. That vast, consuming power that Kagome had showed me was not something to underestimate. 'She's grown so ridiculously strong in such a short period of time. The amount of aura she contained...' I shook my head to clear the thought away, only focusing on how to get strong quickly. 'Professor A is a like my dad, something big is going on behind the scenes, and suddenly Kagome shows up with a brand new level of strength that could beat even me going at full-throttle. What are the odds of that? If my Wrath-Burst isn't enough to keep up with her, then I'm in deep shit. I can't improve my physical strength that much while we're competing, that level of training will drain me. I need to focus on taking my semblance to the next level!'

With that, I yelled, "Wrath Burst!" Aura exploding around my body as a rush of power flowed through me. I wasn't currently at 100%, maybe thirty or forty at most. Even under my old teacher, I never really studied the power that I had worked so hard to achieve. It was my anger turned into raw power, both in aura and in physical strength, it's part of what defines me, my soul projected outwards. It was dangerous, risky, and utterly glorious to feel. Even now, I could feel the slight strain it was putting on me, but it was a strain that I was used to, feeling more like a slight ache through my muscles. 'Alright... now what?' I was stuck, unsure as to what to do. I didn't want to wreak my body by going at 100%, but I had no idea where to take it.

"...Umm...?" I hummed to myself. I couldn't really 'get angrier', even now I wasn't able to call upon the full power of my semblance mainly because I wasn't that angry. Honestly, it was fairly hard to just fly into a rage when I was by myself, even if I pictured Kagome right in front of me. Maxed out, I increased my power three times over, but right now it was at most just two times. 'What if I-?' I started before the door to the Combat Room suddenly opened, a subtle wave of power washing over me as Professors Ciaran, Ornstein and Artorias walked in wearing casual, loose clothing right next to Headmistress Glynda. "Ornstein and Ciaran will be fighting first. Then we'll have-" They all paused when they all turned to look at me, my feet freezing in place.

"Oh, hello Ryuka," Professor Ciaran spoke first. "If you don't mind, we're going to have a little sparring session. You can stay if you want to."

"Stay?" Glynda hissed, "But...!"

I raised a hand, stopping her respectfully. "Don't worry about it, I already know. Remember, my dad's a Deity and I'm kinda used to the aura. Besides, this might be a learning opportunity for me." Artorias grinned and gave me a thumbs up, Ciaran's eyes shooting up in surprise and Ornstein nodding with an amused look on his face. "Learning eh? If that's the case..." He strode over to the arena and took out his impressive spear, gilded in brass and crackling with electricity... before he promptly threw it away, putting his fists up in an orthodox boxing stance. "Fight me then! That'll be a good learning curve, even if I'm not using my weapon."

"Absolutely not!" Goodwitch barked.

"I don't mind," I said quickly with a grin, taking my jacket off and throwing it into the stands. "Like I said, It'll be a great learning lesson for me." Goodwitch froze me with such a harsh glare I actually shuddered a bit. She was silent for a while before she finally relented. "If _either_ of you are seriously injured, I will not be taking responsibility for it, _are we clear?_ " Both of us nodded and got ready, my gauntlets whirring and clicking as they covered my arms. "Begin!"

Ornstein was by far the fastest I ever fought, putting Ruby's speed to shame as he seemed to blur to my right and swinging his foot in a casual kick, forcing me to leap over it in a hurry. He punched me right in the gut and I could already tell he was holding back a lot, even as I crumpled to the floor. He didn't show any mercy as he swung down, fist tearing through stone and into my hasty guard, blasting me all the way to the edge of the arena. 'Shit, my arms...!' They were completely numb, even if I could move them, I wouldn't be able to throw any good punches. "100%, FULL POWER!" I roared as I leaped to my feet, focusing some aura into my arms to heal them. Ornstein grinned and danced towards me, feet bouncing off the floor in an expert fashion. "All out from the start huh? Wise choice Ryuka. I'll show you a small portion of what I have to offer!" Small sparks flew off of him, but his power shot up so high that I knew that I didn't stand a chance. He'd probably just used about 1% against me just a moment ago, and now he was tapping into his potent aura by just a small margin, taking a handful strength out of an ocean of power.

'This just got exciting,' I thought with a grin. I quickly shifted forward and threw out a jab, Ornstein barely swaying away from it as he countered with his own, blasting into my cheekbone. 'Stand my ground, don't give him an inch of space. He's bigger and hits harder, but I can throw faster, two while he's throwing one!' Again he threw out a sharp cross, but I managed to barely slip under it and slam a sidekick into his ribs, following up with a quick hop and right uppercut into the chin. I had to stretch for it though, he was pretty tall and his chin felt incredibly solid. I slipped under a casual left hook meant to drive me away, trying to counter with a right of my own. I was only met with a shock of pain as I was blasted away from him again, realizing that he shocked me with his own lightning. The Deity didn't wait another second, grinning as he sped towards me with is fist raised.

"Enough!" The two of us quickly froze as Goodwitch's voice boomed over us, a purple aura stopping Ornstein's fist. I breathed out as I suppressed my power, the stress going away as I relaxed. "I'm sorry, but if I let this continue any further, Raiden is going to get very badly hurt." I couldn't help but hang my head in a bit of shame that I wasn't able to really try anything or do any real damage. Ornstein held a hand out to me, a grin on his face. "You're quite good for a half-human, best that's fought me in a long time." Surprised at the compliment, I took his hand and he heaved me to my feet with ease. "You know, you should join us more when you decide you want to train." He leaned in and whispered, "In secret through, I'd rather not have Lady Goodwitch there slap me again."

Enlightened, I chuckled and shook hands with him. "It didn't last long, but thanks for the experience Professor." He nodded and yelled, "Ciaran, get in here! You still owe me for that coffee you stole from me." Said Professor just appeared in front on me, scaring the life out of me at the same time. "I did it because you stole my lunch." She turned to me with those piercing black and silver eyes, but her smile was genuine. "Back away for now Ryuka, and watch me if you really want to see what a battle between Deities looks like." I quickly walked over to the seats and sat down next to Artorias, who was also watching with great anticipation. 'One step at a time I suppose,' I thought as I got comfy.

 **Blake**

"...Yang, I swear, if you keep at it with those push-ups, you won't be able to feel your arms tomorrow," I sighed as Yang just kept on going. "Eh, I'm almost done my set anyway, just ten more." Yang did just that, leaping to her feet as soon as she was done and, surprisingly, she looked almost completely fine aside from the gathering sweat. 'Wow, looks like that extra training with Raiden really did help her a lot. Those small tips he gave me were good as well.' Idly, I waved my hand around and willed a Shadow Clone of it to follow by movement, a slight delay between the real limb and the shadow. I burst of wind-pressure made me look up as Yang called upon the full extent of her aura. When I was in the White Fang, Adam personally taught me about the properties of aura and trained me with it, so now after training even more with it, I was able to get a small sense of how powerful aura-users were.

Yang was strong, incredibly strong, it felt like I was close to a miniature sun. Honestly, it was a nice feeling too. "Hmm, I haven't gotten much stronger," Yang said, clearly annoyed, and I rolled my eyes. "Yang you were already strong enough to flip cars without your gauntlets, now you could probably bench-press a bus. Or two." Yang chuckled at that and flexed, the definition in her arms more noticeable than before. "Why do you feel the need to get stronger? The tournament's at least halfway done, and you're already a force to be reckoned with when you go all out." Yang clenched her fist and the cheery expression dropped from her face a little, a much more serious look on it like when she talked to me in Port's classroom some time ago.

"You saw how fast Kagome finished her opponent, right?" I nodded grimly, I was at the noodle-stand when I saw it. "I know she's going to pull something. I'll end up fighting her at some point, and if I'm not in the least bit prepared...she'll gladly beat me to death for it." I shuddered at the words and at the thought of Kagome. Yang wasn't pulling this out of thin air either, Kagome always gave her that well hidden but certain murderous look, the same look that Adam ever gave every human he looked at. "I need to at least be as strong as Raiden. If I get that strong, I'll be able to tackle anything the world can dish at us!" She looked at me with a smile of her own. "You've gotten stronger too Blake. Hell, everyone's been getting stronger and stronger, and I feel like we're going to need it too. The White Fang arming themselves to the teeth, the Breach on Vale, and now Gods just randomly falling out of the sky? Something is going on, that much we know... we're going to need every bit of strength we can spare for what's to come."

Thinking on that, it would be very hard to find a disagreement to that argument. "I might sound like a bit of a hypocrite here," Yang spoke after a moment, "But I just want to be ready." Her fist clenched tightly and threw a sharp punch, cutting through the air and actually blowing the hair from my face. "I don't ever want to be caught helpless ever again, like that time when Ruby and I were kids. So, I'll keep getting stronger." She sat down and crossed her legs, eyes closing as she began to concentrate, my eyebrows raising in surprise at the relaxed posture. 'She's meditating? Guess there's a first time for everything.' Her aura surrounded her once more in a thin but roiling film like flaming oil on a flat surface. "You can meditate?" I asked, surprised.

Closed-eyed, she grinned and replied, "Don't take me for the kind to meditate, huh?"

"You punch people with your fists stuffed up a Turkey," I said dryly, "No Yang, I do _not_ take you as the type of person to meditate."

"Well then, care to join me?" Chuckling, I sat down next to her and closed my eyes, raising my own aura, feeling Yang's burning power next to mine. 'One step at a time.'

* * *

 **(A.N: Not really much to say, except that I hope you enjoy... well, as much as you can enjoy a filler. Next chapter we'll be getting right into the good stuff: The Finals of the Tournament! Stay tuned, leave a follow and Fav if you're new and like what you see. Bye!)**


	22. Raiden vs Mercury!

**(A.N: Hello again! So like I said before, going straight into the 'Finals' section of volume 3, and not much else to say aside from that. Peace out and enjoy!)**

* * *

 **[Into the Dark]**

 **[Chapter 21]**

 **The match of orange versus quicksilver!**

 **Wisps of a problem...and a solution?**

* * *

 **Ciaran**

"I still don't agree with what we've done," I said quietly to Artorias. Laying on his chest, I normally felt at ease and very comfortable, but now all I could feel was a sickly sense of guilt at having to drag Pyrrha into a war that she didn't need to be a part of. It made no sense, it was wrong forcing that much responsibility of a choice that big upon her, no matter how strong she was. "Believe me, I understand how you feel love," He said back, his own voice showing hints of the same regret that I was feeling, even if he was trying to stay strong. "Ornstein is in the same boat too. He hasn't been able to look his students in the eye." I winced, it was very rare that you'd see that level of shame from my brother. "I don't want to betray the kindness that Ozpin has shown us, but... doing this to Nikos just feels wrong. It might be a choice, but knowing her, she'll feel forced into assuming the role of the Fall Maiden by her own morals."

"...I feel like you know you're not just talking about Pyrrha," I deadpanned with a small grin, trying to lighten the mood. He looked at me with a knowing grin. "Was it _that_ obvious love?" I snickered as I kissed him on the cheek. "Honey, I can read thee like an open tome."

"Fair enough," He chuckled. "I more or less took a page out of my own book for that description."

" _Clearly_ ," I drawled, rolling my eyes cheekily. He growled and playfully drummed his fingers across my ribs, which were unfortunately (or fortunately in this case) my ticklish areas. I shrieked with laughter as he tightly wrapped one arm around my waist, mercilessly tickling me with the other hand while I thrashed with laughter. "Ahahaha! S-stop i-it, ahaha!" I cried out as he rolled awkwardly so he was on top of me, still with that _damn tickling_. "You two can save it for the bedroom," I new voice said and Artorias practically leaped off of me, his face boyishly embarrassed. Granted, my entire face felt like it was about to burst into flames, so I was probably in the same boat as he was. Ornstein's interruption wasn't done with the normal cheekiness that was associated with it, but it sounded rather tired and annoyed. His eyes looked slightly sunken in along with noticeable bags under them. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Artorias said, trying to bring out the more playful side of Ornstein.

He only sighed and sat down on the couch tiredly. "...Better the wrong side of the bed than tangled up in a sweaty knot with your lover, hmm?" I sighed in relief as Artorias burst into laughter, embracing Ornstein in that overly manly way that men do. "That is the Ornstein I remember!" Ornstein rolled his eyes with a small smirk, that indication he was both annoyed and amused. "Did you forget about me? _Me_ , the great slayer of dragons?" Artorias raised an eyebrow. "And you do realize that I've killed just as many as you have?" He deadpanned.

"Ah-ah-ah, you only have 127 _solo_ kills under thy belt," Ornstein tutted, "While I have 130. You've been beaten. Again."

Artorias threw his hands up in defeat and flopped down onto the couch. "I swear, it's like no matter what the situation is, I'll _never_ win a single argument with you." Ornstein pat him on the head like some kind of dog... or wolf. 'That Xiao Long girl seems to have rubbed off on me somewhat,' I thought with a shudder at the terrible pun my mind conjured. "That's simply because you lack a magnificent brain such as mine to be able to compete with my perfected articulation of speech and prose."

"Did you know using big words like that on purpose actually shows how small-minded you are?" Ornstein turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "You _do_ realize that you used to do the exact same thing to _literally every human_ that you came across back when we were younger?" I felt my face turn hot as I crossed my arms angrily, trying to save face. "I-I don't do that anymore and you _know_ that." He only grinned and wagged a finger at me. "Who's to say little sister? For all I know you could be acting like a spoiled brat again-!" I picked up a pillow and threw it at Ornstein, his full blown cackle finally showing itself as he dodged it with ease. "Well, it's good to see everyone in somewhat high spirits again. I suppose that's just my effect whenever I'm around," He sighed contently, as if he'd accomplished something immense, Artorias and I giving him dead looks.

"Just let him have this one," I sighed to Artorias, who nodded, exasperated.

 **Raiden**

"Keep pressing forward Yang!" I shouted as she brawled it out against Sun Wukong. 'Tch, he's the complete opposite of his brother as per usual! Tricky bastard's using his staff and his reach against Yang, no matter how strong she is, it won't matter if she can't solidly hit him.' Yang was doing her best to move in as quickly as possible with the Flash-Step, but compared to pretty much everyone who uses movement to their advantage, it was child's play to deal with. Sun was grinning as he whacked Yang hard in the temple with his staff, the brawler stumbling before she quickly dashed out of the way from a hail of quadruple-shotgun Nun-chucks fire (seriously, can that even be considered fair?) tearing into the stone of the arena floor. He kept his distance as he continued to twirl his weapon while firing in a rapid, almost unreadable rhythm, forcing Yang to back up and try to deflect as many of the bullets as she could, her teeth grinding against each other.

"Red King Burst!" She roared as she dropped her guard and leaped forward, red aura exploding off of her as she drew a fist back. Sun only grinned wider as he slapped his Nun-chucks together, all four barrels facing Yang. "Too hasty blonde bomber!" The blast was surprisingly powerful, engulfing Yang entirely as she was flung onto her back, a small chunk of her aura missing. 'She took that point blank, I thought she'd take much more damage than that...' When the dust settled, I smiled as I saw what she did. Her arms looked like they were made entirely out of fire... no, rather, they appeared to be coated in it. 'She's been putting the book to good use. That has to be her...'

"Auric Armament!" She shouted, her own grin on her face as she jumped back onto her feet. If aura was the enhancement of the soul, and a semblance was the projection of it, Armament was a bare reflection of the person. Not a semblance, but rather the most prominent aspect of a person, and for Yang, that was burning determination. Sun whistled in surprise, nodding. "That's one heck of a technique you've got there. Guess it'll only be fair if I do my own." His body started to glow almost violently with a deep golden light, his brow scrunched up in concentration as he summoned his semblance _around himself._ I raised my eyebrows at that. 'Surrounding himself in an explosive shell? That's... you know what, I probably should have expected that from him.' It was a bit weird actually, come to think about it. Oro's semblance was about loosing control while Sun's required him to stay still and meditate, and now that was switched around with Oro's new control of his semblance while Sun looked like he was about to explode.

"Lemme guess, if I touch you, you'll explode, but it doesn't damage you?" Yang asked as she bounced on her feet, everyone on the edge of their seats. "...More or less..." He replied, voice strained as he began to move forward slowly before picking up speed, staff twirling with incredible speed. Yang met him head on, a flame-covered fist meeting his staff with a resounding *BANG* this time Yang skidding back looking worse for wear, shaking slightly as she stayed on her feet. Sun was relentless, even if he as moving noticeably slower, his new explosive power made up for it, each strike bringing down a powerful explosion that threw Yang around. Still, her eyes were very much alive, I could see that she was reading the rhythm of his strikes easily, chanting "One, two, three, four...!" under her breath. As soon as she saw another opening, she threw her fist out with a quick burst of the Red King Arte, crashing into his face as his staff slammed into her temple. This time Sun stumbled, the damage too much for even his explosive shell to reflect.

Seeing the opening, Yang grit her teeth and swung again. Sun didn't give in, swinging his staff again, and the two of them went at it, exchanging blow for almost a minute straight. Even still, Yang continued to adapt, blocking Sun's strikes as she countered. As soon as Sun attempted to do the same thing, Yang stepped in at super-close range, throwing a vicious uppercut into his chin and finally stunning him, even through the explosion.

"Gotcha!" Yang roared, "Auric Arte, Sunlight Yellow OVERDRIVE!" Her fists went flying like machine-gun fire, Sun desperately trying to defend himself but was moving far too slow to keep up with her pummeling, even through his new technique... which seemed to be dying down in strength. The golden glow around his body suddenly winked out and Yang tore into him with punch after punch, all of them delivered with building-shattering force. "Time to finish this! **MYSTIC ARTE!** " Her aura exploded around her as she drew her right fist back, coated in her fiery Armament aura. " **SUNBREAKER SMASH!** " The final blow to Sun's stomach nearly shot him into the seats with a blast of fire, shattering his aura and sending him to the edge of the floating arena.

Yang shot forward and dived for him, grabbing him by the arm just before he could fall off. "And the winner of the first Finals Match, is Yang Xiao Long!" People, who were originally dead silent, roared with cheers as Yang hauled Sun over, the arena slowly floating down onto its original resting place. I let out a sigh of relief that I didn't know I was holding in, relaxing in my seat by the ring with the other finalists. "Heh, she seems pretty good," The guy sitting to my left said with a smarmy grin. Mercury, I remember his name was, he dealt with team Coffee's big tank'like member with ease. Something about him felt very... off. "Well, she is quite strong," I answered. "No thanks to her hard work." Mercury seemed to finally notice me, his eyes sizing me up. "...Raiden Ryuka, right? Rei Ryuka's son?" I nodded, getting very cautious. "You're part of that team that keeps one-shotting people, I've been lookin forward to fighting you should I get the chance."

"...Likewise I guess." I left our conversation at that, still tense. As Yang and Sun hopped down, they went towards us. Yang had Sun's arm slung around her shoulder, both of them were grinning as they made their way over to me looking pretty beat up. "How was that Raiden?" Yang asked with a worn out grin, one of her eyes bruised up. "Reckless, sloppy, and you were slow to catch on." For a moment, Yang looked insulted before I smirked at her. "But you did pretty good none the less."

"Oh, so what am I, chopped liver?" Sun said. I laughed and nodded at Sun. "You did pretty good too, especially with that new Technique of yours."

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's not hold you up for too long!" Rei said loudly. "Without further ado, let's get into our second match-up of the night. Finalists who are called up, please make your way to the center of the Arena. First up for our second match of the night, we have..." The randomization process started up, and all of the finalists, save Sun and Yang, were on their feet, ready to fight. Glancing down to the very end, I saw Kagome looking at me before she winked, licking her lips and I shot back a snarl. "Raiden Ryuka!" I raised my eyebrows as I looked at the screen just to make sure about what I was seeing, and indeed my face was the first to pop up. "Good luck Rai," Yang said, but the expression in her eye also told me that other hidden message. Be careful, they said as her eyes glanced at Kagome. "Don't worry about me, I won't need any luck," I said with a thumb up.

Quickly, I flew onto the arena, landing with a quick flip as people cheered for me. 'Not gonna lie, I missed that feeling,' I though as I closed my eyes and leaned back slightly. Peeking at the commentator's booth, I saw mom smiling at me, pride coursing through every inch of her body. 'I won't let you down mom!'

"Versus... Mercury Black!" The grey haired dude put his hands in his pockets and walked onto the arena, not saying a word, but just smirking at me. '...Yeah, there's no way in hell that this is a coincidence, something really screwed up is gonna happen.'

"Three! Two! One! BEGIN!"

 **(DBS OST: Ultra Instinct Rush by PokeMixr92)**

No time was wasted between us, Mercury blasting off the floor with his Shotgun-Boots and rocketing himself at me with a spinning round-house kick. 'That's right, he's mainly a kick-fighter and only uses his hands for defense.' I put my hands up and kept them open, letting him fly at me. 'Time to show him the limitation of that.' As his foot sailed for my head, I grabbed it and used my other hand to grab onto his shirt. He was completely caught off guard as I looked at him for a moment before lifting him up and slamming him into the floor with a giant *BOOM*, stone slabs flying into the air from the force of it. Mercury already looked concussed, but the shock and pain on his face was clear to see. "You weren't joking about wanting to fight me in the finals, right?" I asked with a whisper. He flinched as I said that, confirming my thoughts. I nodded, doing my best to look calm. "Okay. Cool." Then I couldn't help myself as I grinned.

I grabbed him by the face and threw him into the sky before I raced after him, sending him back to the ground with a quick stomp to his chest. He wasn't going to go down without a fight though, that much was clear: he spat blood from his mouth as he landed on his feet, quickly dashing away as I crashed into the ground. As I was standing up, he dashed back in and raised his lead leg for a side-kick. I thought it was gonna be high, but instead it shot down right at my knee, a shotgun blast tearing through the air. Pain exploded in my leg as I almost crumpled to the floor, and he didn't stop there as he kicked higher up right in my face. 'Yeah, that's gonna sting in the morning,' I thought as I pumped aura into my leg, healing it instantly and letting me leap over him and landing behind him. He was sharp, his leg shooting behind him in a back-kick and his boot firing out what looked to be a thick blast of Impact Dust. 'Mixed with a bit of Gravity Dust too, probably to increase the impact.'

I tensed my arm and swung my fist out to the left, batting the blast away with the back of my hand. 'Damn, that actually stung a bit,' I thought, my grin getting a bit wider. 'If I had my weapons active, I'd still probably feel it.' He didn't give me any more time to think, rushing at me with a barrage of kicks, lashing out like whips from all angles. 'Huh, come to think about it, the way he fights seems kinda familiar... he said his name was Mercury Black?' He looked like he was going for my stomach and I quickly covered up low with my guard, only to get kicked right in the knee again. "Gk!" I grunted as I buckled again, receiving a strong roundhouse to the face, knocking me onto my side. He already had his foot raised to crush my head with an axe-kick, and I just about managed to catch hit bare-handed. My eyebrows scrunched together as I felt something very, very off. "...Heavy...?" I muttered before I rolled away from another stomp, leaping to my feet.

Squinting a bit, I tried to take in Mercury's features, but again he wasn't waiting for my sake, firing off several Dust-Blasts at me and forcing me to deflect them away. "You're Marcus Black's son, aren't you!?" I said over the sounds of gunfire, getting a sudden pause from him, eyebrow raised. "What's my old man to you?" He growled as he reared his right leg back. "Auric Arte: Crushing Storm-Kick!" Instead of the Storm-Kick technique's normal roundhouse or swinging movement, he shot his leg out in a sidekick, a focused stream of aura hitting me in the chest dead-on, knocking the wind out of me as I skid back. "O-oh yeah, *cough*, you're definitely his kid." At that, I looked up and glared at him, stopping him short. "So why in the hell are you holding back? If you really are his son, then you shouldn't be so weak. God, your dad would probably be so disappointed with all of his teachings going to waste on you."

"Shut up!" He roared, dark-grey aura suddenly rising off of him as he dashed forward launching a lightning-fast right at me, grazing my cheek. "See? That's more like it!" I said as he came at me with a full array of attacks with his hands and feet. All of them were powered by aura and cut through the air, tearing through my jacket. Which had just been repaired. I huffed in annoyance and finally activated my weapons, meeting his quick attacks with blocks and counters of my own. He almost caught me again with that low kick to the knee of his, but I quickly stepped past it and shot my fist out, meeting his cheek in a satisfying *CRACK*. He never shied away, kneeing me in the chin and sending me stumbling back. I didn't even get a chance to set my feet; some invisible force 'grabbed' my ankle and violently pulled me off balance just in time for a sharp elbow to the face.

I leaped up and managed to get some distance in between us with a quick burst of aura from my body. That same powerful pulling force seemed to wrap around my body and launched me right into a full-blown dropkick, thank god I managed to block that. It still knocked me back however, but I managed to roll onto my feet before I was shot again, wrapping my weapons in my own Auric Armament, a pure back metal-like sheen as I went back to deflecting his Dust-Blasts. "Let me guess, Semblance?" I asked.

"Right on the money," He answered smugly, "It's pretty simple, I can quickly push or pull things with it. Normally I use it on Grimm to tear limbs off or organs out, but I can't do that with you since you're protected by aura."

"Simple but powerful, I like it!" I replied as I started to move forward through the storm of Dust, dodging and deflecting. "Yep, personally I call it 'Snatch', it's simple, quick and self-explanatory. Anyway, playtime's over!" Shooting a couple more Dust-rounds, he suddenly leaped into it and cracked a left into my jaw, blinding me with a flash of white before I felt myself being launched into the air, a sizable fleck of Mercury's aura seemingly stuck on my back. I blinked the spots out of my eyes to finally see the surrounding sky of the arena filled with the floating Dust-Rounds that I'd been deflecting the whole time. '...oh shit.'

" **Mystic Arte: Homing Snatch!** " Every single projectile, numbering close to one hundred, stopped floating and raced directly at me. 'Not bad at all, Mercury Black!'

 **(Music End)**

 **Kikoken**

"Bro!" I yelled just as the Dust-rounds drove him into the floor, all of them hitting him at nearly the exact same time with a ground-shaking ***BOOM*** , hell, the entire _arena_ was shaking. "Shoot, he got hit by that head on. He's not even going at half-throttle, but something like that could hurt the Captain if he was caught off guard," Claire agreed, worried as well. "Mercury Black, Power level 3,350, certainly higher than almost every first-year student and surpassing even a few second-years, not to mention his level of skill and that semblance of his."

"It's almost like telekinesis," Ruby pondered, "Not as complex as Miss Goodwitch's, but still quite powerful."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting something," Oro said with a grin. "Raiden's way too strong!" Pointing to the Aura-Display (seriously, I keep forgetting that thing exists) Raiden's aura had only dropped to 85%, while Mercury's was just at half-full. Considering that Raiden had matched his power with Merc's, then it was pretty clear who the winner was going to be, and I relaxed. "Big Bro has this in the bag then." Mercury swaggered out of the cloud of dust and rubble that was kicked up from his attack, brushing his shirt off in a show of cockiness amidst the roar of cheers... until Raiden decided to make himself known. "WRATH BURST!" His own roar drowned out the crowd and violently blew the dust away, his pillar of aura shattering through the dust-shield above like it was thin glass. "You've done well, Mercury Black! You've shown me your full power, and in return, I'll beat you with my own! **MYSTIC ARTE!** "

He shot forward faster than anyone could see, almost appearing right in front of him. Mercury panicked and threw a wild hook to the head, only for Raiden to sway back and cock his fist, his gauntlet glowing brightly as he poured aura into it. " **GOD-SLAYER STRIKE!** " The punch tore Mercury's shirt clean off with a wave of aura well beyond Raiden's 100%, the tiles from half the stage being crushed to dust from the sheer force of the blow, every ounce of Mercury's aura blasted away before he sunk to his knees, clutching his stomach. It didn't seem to have broken anything, thankfully, but there was definitely going to a be a lot of bruising and probably a fracture. "And the winner, by a devastating one-punch blow, is Raiden Ryuka of Beacon Academy!" He held a closed fist over his head, pride etched in every feature of his body in response to the even louder roars of approval.

Raiden simply looked down on his fallen opponent and gave a small bow, turning to leave the arena. "That was brutal!" Ruby said with stars in her eyes, which was a tad bit disturbing. "It's how the Captain does things," Claire agreed with a smile. "Let's meet up with him and celebrate with dinner."

"Hey Ryuka!" All of us turned our attention to Mercury as he made the call, standing up with a very dark look on his face. Raiden turned around and his eyes suddenly went wide for some reason, tensing up like he was about to fight despite Mercury having made no move. "Someone's affecting Raiden with their aura," Claire said suddenly, and when I used my Observation-Skill, there was a thin layer of aura that was wrapped around Raiden's head. Raiden seemed to notice this too at the very last moment, though his body was still tense as he eyed Mercury suspiciously. "...It didn't damage him, but... I think it was affecting his vision," Claire said, a hand going to her weapon. Raiden finally relented and turned around, walking off, and that's when Mercury growled and flew right at him. "RAIDEN!" I shouted, trying to warn him; he wasn't stupid, he quickly pivoted and was about to get his hands up, but Merc slammed his heel right into his eyes, the shotgun-boots going off with a bang at point-blank range.

"AAAAAGH!" Raiden bellowed in pain as he clutched at his eyes, people crying out in shock and anger at the sudden attack. Surprisingly, Oro was the first one to react, activating his semblance with a yellow flash of aura and leaping into the dust-barrier that prevented anyone from getting inside, pounding away at it. Of course, this barrier had to be far stronger than the one used at the top of the arena thanks to constant projectiles hitting at it, and with the situation at hand, Oro didn't have enough time to turn into his Silver Beast Form. "C-cut the cameras!" Professor Port yelled from the announcers' booth, and I could see the shock on mom's face as well. 'Right, nobody knocks around my brother except me!' I grabbed Impact and leaped down to join Oro, Claire, Ruby and the rest of her team springing into action by running to the nearest entrance to the arena itself.

'Just hang on brother, we're coming to help!'

 **Mercury**

It was ridiculously satisfying to hear him scream in pain after all that confident shit he was spitting out during the fight. "What's the matter?" I asked as I kicked him over the head and into the floor. "What happened to all that power you were showing me just a moment ago?" He swung blindly and I swayed back with ease, kneeing him in the face and elbowing him back onto his knee. "W...why are you doing this!?" He asked, still clutching at his eyes. "Not to tell much, but... I've got my orders." I kicked him again and sent him rolling before he managed to stumble like a child to his feet. I couldn't help myself as I laughed when I tripped him up and pushed him to the floor. "You're totally helpless!" I cackled, "Christ, you're making this too easy!" I kicked him over and over again until I was starting to run out of breath. Glancing at the locked entrances to the arena, I assumed I had a few more minutes to myself.

"Did you ever consider that I'm doing this on purpose?" His tone completely changed and this wave that screamed pure danger made me step away from him in surprise. He stood up and opened his eyes, completely unscathed and glowing brightly. "I...I shot you in the face!" I shouted, something heavy at the pit of my stomach weighing me down. "Aura or not, you shouldn't be able to see!" He cracked his neck and snarled, "What do you think I am, an idiot? Whoever pulled that illusion-shit _wanted_ me to attack back, and I almost did if I wasn't able to sense aura. Your reaction when I didn't do what was panned threw you off, didn't it?" His expression turned darker as he walked towards me, aura beginning to waft off of him.

"Orders...Big Plans... something happening behind the curtains..." He muttered, glaring at me. "You're with Kagome in this, aren't you?" I hesitated for a split second, and his face went from angry to pure rage. "So you are." Without another word, he reappeared right next to me and when I moved to jump away, his leg shot out low and blindingly fast right into my prosthetic. I screamed as his foot ripped though the metal like paper, the pain-sensors overloading and nearly making me black out in pain. When I managed to regain my vision, I was flat on my back while Raiden had his foot planted on my chest, glaring down at me with those burning orange eyes. "Awake? Good. I want you see how you'll perish." He raised his fist as it glowed with aura, the sheer power of it whipping the hair from my face. 'He's actually gonna kill me!' I crossed my hands in front of my face and tensed up, fearing for my life for the first time in years.

" _DOOOOON'T_!" A flash of yellow and red slammed into Raiden out of nowhere, knocking him clean off of me. Looking at who managed to save me, I realized it was that red-hooded girl, her blonde sister and the muscular monkey Faunus, all three of them struggling to hold Raiden back. "Raiden, please calm down, Atlesian soldiers or on their way to restrain him!" The blonde one shouted. Surprisingly, he relaxed and his aura faded away, still leveling that deadly glare at me. "Mercury!" Emerald quickly ran up to my side, genuine worry and panic on her face. She tried to glare at Raiden only to be drowned out by a wall of 'boos' the crowd aimed at us. "Shit, how did he see through my semblance?" She muttered to me, eyeing my broken prosthetic leg. "J-just... get a stretcher and we can still carry out the plan," I said, still in agony. Didn't even need to call for one thankfully. Even if we were escorted out by two Atlesian soldiers and two Atlesian Knights, we would be able to pull it off. As I was rushed down the hallway to the Airship Docks, Cinder finally showed herself, dressed in her Medic outfit. "Bring him here, we have an available ambulance!"

They brought me into the Air-Ambulance, the Atlesians still keeping their guns pointed at me. "What happened?" Cinder asked them as they entered, the medics putting me down on the table and rushing back out. "This boy attacked one of the other finalists after he lost, sore loser." I scowled and muttered under my breath, "Piss off."

"Caused one hell of a ruckus, lots of people screaming and panicking." Cinder nodded, a small smile on her face. "I see. Well then gentlemen, your services are no longer required." With the exception of the androids, both soldiers looked confused before Cinder blurred into action, obsidian blades manifesting in their hands as she lopped both their heads off in two strokes, cleaving the androids down the middle before they could even bring their weapons to bear. "Neo," Cinder called as soon as she was done, "Be a dear and open the door please." A moment later, the door opened while we were taking off and she casually kicked the ruined bodies out. "Well, while the event certainly went off plan," She said, looking at me with a smirk, "The end result was at least achieved. What went _wrong_ is my question."

Emerald spoke first, thank God. "Raiden, he... I don't know, he managed to see through my semblance. That's all I can say really."

"Hmm... sister _did_ mention that he had much higher auric capabilities than many others."

"Doesn't matter," I spoke as I disabled the pain-sensors in my leg, "We got the results we wanted, that's that." Emerald and Cinder looked at me with raised eyebrows. "What?" I bit out.

"Someone sounds _salty,_ " Emerald snickered as she pat me on the shoulder. "Oh _fuck off_! This is the second fucking time my legs have been messed up, this time by some asshole who's barely my age!" I shouted, swatting at Emerald who simply leaned back with a giant grin of her face. "It'll do good for you to eat a bit of humility," Cinder concluded. "That way you'll understand just how much further you are from the _real_ monsters out there in the world." I snorted and spat, still really pissed off. "...next time I see him, I'm kicking his head clean off his shoulders."

 **Yang**

 **(One day later...)**

"What do you mean he's gone?!" I shouted at General Ironwood, "He was on _one damn fake leg_ that we didn't even know he had! Seriously, did nobody check that?" After the events of last night, Raiden had trouble seeing for a while, but it was fully cleared up by the morning. "Yang, please," Kiko said, putting a calming hand on my shoulder. "You're not the only one who's pissed... but we need to know some facts before we start placing the blame on others." Ironwood cleared his throat and said a small, "Thank you," to her before continuing. "As far as we know, Mercury is somehow responsible for the death of two of my men and the destruction of two Atlesian Androids."

"Okay, now _that's_ complete bullshit," Kiko deadpanned. Ironwood sighed and I couldn't help it as I chuckled a bit. "However, it was at this _exact_ time that his Team from Haven also pulled out of the Tournament." All of us turned quiet. "...Oooooh, I get it!" Oro said after a moment, and all of us face-palmed. "They most likely helped him get away, just in case anyone else didn't understand," Raiden said aloud, leaning on the wall with a dark look on his face. "Either way, a full investigation will take place as soon as Leo decides to give us the files on the Team from his Academy." Raiden only snorted and looked away angrily, his entire body tensed up. "Aside from that... I feel the need to apologize Ryuka. My men couldn't get into the arena in time to stop his from assaulting you, and I feel responsible for my shortcomings in this tournament in terms of security." The humility from his honestly surprised me and everyone else, especially Raiden.

"Wow, um... I don't really _blame_ you or anything, so there's no need for an apology." He said, "But I'm almost certain that something like this will happen again." That was something pretty much everyone could agree on, Oro being dead serious this time. "If it does happen, whatever it's gonna be, we'll just have to stop it!" Claire rolled her eyes, but that nearly-invisible smile on her face told me that she absolutely loved that reckless side to him. The general smiled lightly and gave a small bow. "I hope that you all have a pleasant day, and thank you for taking the time to hear me out. Take care, Raiden Ryuka." Raiden nodded curtly, but there was respect in his eyes nonetheless. "You too General." As soon as he left, Ruby grabbed the remote and flicked the TV on, and we were instantly assaulted by news of the attack last night. "-Contestant Mercury Black is now said to have been taken to a Prison Hospital where his prosthetic combat legs will be removed and replaced by basic ones before-" Ruby quickly switched channels as the air in the room got heavier.

"H-haha, sorry," She said meekly as she switched to a movie channel. "... Anybody want to come along for a bite to eat?" Weiss offered, trying to dispel the mood.

" _Yes please,_ " almost everyone said, jumping to their feet. "I'll stay, I'm not hungry yet," I sighed as I splayed out on the bed. "Yeah, same here," Raiden muttered. Ruby gave me a worried look while Kiko grinned and winked at me before leaving us. I shifted to lie down on my stomach as I simply looked at Raiden as he sat down on the floor. "...you okay?" I asked after a while. He sighed and shook his head, looking like he wanted to kick himself. "I just... can't believe I was caught off guard so easily." I raised a brow and couldn't help myself as I grinned. "Seriously? Not the fact that he was trying to permanently cripple you, but that you just made a small mistake? And then proceeded to pound him like you were in prison?" He snorted, managing to hold in his laughter, but just barely. "Is... is that a prison-sex joke?"

"It _could_ be, but that wasn't what I was aiming for," I said with a bigger grin.

"Hehe... anyway, I've only been in a handful of real 'do or die' situations before," He said after a moment. "But I at least know what that's like, and I kinda used to it. I'm just disappointed in myself that I still let my guard down even though something was clearly going on. Who am I to talk about taking up the role of my d... my _mom_ , when I can't do something as simple as keep my guard up? How can I atone for...?"

"Did you win?" I asked, stopping him.

"Eh?"

"Yeah, you let your guard down, but in the end, did you win?" I asked him again. "If you don't make mistakes, how do you improve? How do you get stronger? Sometimes... sometimes it takes a mistake to learn and to grow, especially in a life-and-death situation. Either way, you still survived and won, doesn't that say something about how strong you already are?" When he looked up, my throat locked up as this wave of pure rage washed over me, his eyes glowing orange as aura began to waft off of him. " **If I hope to ever stand a chance against the _real_ monsters out there... if I ever wish to atone for what I've done... I have to become the _strongest_ , and that means no more stupid mistakes.**" After a moment, he blinked and his eyes went wide as he looked at me. "...O-Oh God, sorry!" At first I didn't understand why he was apologizing until I realized that I was shivering, my skin clammy and my vision blurry.

He quickly jumped up and fed aura into me, my body slowly relaxing. "I'm so sorry Yang, I just got emotional and I couldn't keep a lid-!" I laughed weakly and slowly got to my feet, grabbing onto his shoulder for support. "It's okay," I said, "So long as you make it up to me with lunch." He nodded and walked with me slowly, making sure that I had something to steady myself with. 'He's so sweet, it's just adorable when he gets like this,' I thought with a grin as my hands lightly squeezed his arms, 'Not to mention, this feels nice~'

"If you're gonna feel me up, put your hand on my chest," he commented dry, "That or my back. My legs would be another option, but then you might have to carry me, and that'd be awkward." We both laughed and I lightly punched him in his chest (seriously, that thing felt like it was carved from _stone_ ) as we walked out to the festival grounds. "Raiden," I asked as we walked out of the dorms, thinking back to how he hesitated to mention something important. "I know your mom, hell, pretty much every hunter and huntress has heard of the Top Four across the world... but I've never heard you say anything about your dad." Instantly I felt him tense up, just lightly, but it was more than noticeable. "Is he a... sore subject?" I asked, a bit ashamed at how blunt I was.

"O-oh, not at all," He said, relaxing a bit as he caught my meaning. "He and my mom are still happily married, and I... _really_ look up to him." In that moment, his eyes looked very distant, but the expression on his face was... 'Beautiful,' I thought as I couldn't help but stare. This wasn't one of those snarky or cheeky grins, he was smiling softly, his entire face completely relaxed. '...Oh god he looks so _cute_ like that.' I whined to myself as I bit my lip, my face heating up slightly. "...Look, I can't tell you who my dad really is, not yet at least," He said after a while. "If I told you right now, I don't think it's something you'll be able to understand." I smiled at him and pat his back. "Whenever you're ready, I'm all ears okay?"

He looked at me for a moment before bursting into laughter, catching me off guard. "...Is there something on my face?"

"Nah, it's just the second time you've helped me," He said gratefully, "Thank you again Yang." I realized that our faces were actually pretty close, and I think that this was the first time I got a good look at him. His facial-features weren't that different from Ren's both of them having been born in far-eastern Mistral, but his skin was nicely tanned, his face looking a bit tougher with a number of small scars that were hard to see from far away. The way that single orange bang stuck out reminded me so much of that annoying cowlick on the top of my head, but it fit him better. Raiden was simply looking at me, his own eyes lost in the moment as they met mine. The second that happened, both of us turned red and we quickly looked back forward, trying to hide the smiles on our faces. Neither of us were good at it, and honestly, I don't think either of use cared.

 **Ornstein**

"I _seriously_ don't like where this is going," I sighed to Glynda as we both stood in front of the unconscious form of Amber Autumn, the current rightful Fall Maiden. "Pyrrha should be given more time, and more explanation than a simple five-minute chat about how Magic exists. Not to mention, the girl isn't ready to take that level of magic into herself."

"How so?" She asked, adjusting her glasses with curiosity in her green eyes. "Magic... is aura converted into a far higher state that can be used for almost anything. Normally, back during my age, sorcerers had what I now recognize to be a high amount of aura, and through a catalyst that allows for it to be converted into magic, can perform incredible feats of power. However, when one decides to turn their aura almost _entirely_ into magic, their _body_ becomes the catalyst, and that kind of stress requires either a strong aura or a powerful body. As strong as Nikos is right now, compare her to all the other Maidens before her, and that's just without the actual Maiden power."

"...granted, it _is_ just about half of the power." She spoke after a while, and I sighed and shook my head with a small grin. 'This woman is so stubborn...' I thought to myself. "Glynda, I want you to look at it like this. You see the weapons which my comrades possess? They may be reforged, but they're still the same, if not better now thanks to their new designs... can you guess what's been imbued into them?"

"Magic," She answered flawlessly. "More than you could ever imagine," I agreed, "If Artorias were to loose control of his weapon, he'd be able to destroy an entire mountain-range. I could accidentally rain lightning down onto the entirety of Vale, and Ciaran, if she were in a crowd of people, could cause all of them to die via _literally exploding_ in a gory mess or by sending a wave of acidic toxins that would eat through them like paper. And no, I'm not being over-dramatic as you people tend to put it, I'm being very, _very_ literal here, it's happened before." I leaned in closely to try and put as much emphasis on the next point as I could. "Over the years, the Maiden-Magic has continuously gotten stronger and stronger after being passed on to each host after host. Now Glynda, consider this: what happens when you attempt to contain raw power strong enough to destroy a _kingdom_ into a body that is only capable of destroying a _house_?" She went silent as her eyes drifted off. The answer was fairly obvious, after all. "Now what happens if you contain even _half_ that power?"

"...The exact same thing," She admitted after a moment. I clapped my hands, making her flinch. "Exactly. Like I said, be very careful with whom you give such a level of power to. Nikos may be skilled, but she's never dealt with the kind of control needed to use raw magic."

"No matter the case, we have no other choice, time is running out and no other candidate who is as skilled as her." I looked at her with as serious a look as I could muster, trying not to get angry. "You'd be willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent child, in a risky gamble, to have a slight advantage?" I asked. She looked at me and said, "If it's necessary... then yes." I tired to get angry, I really did, but I just deflated and sighed. Who was I to criticize her when I've done the exact same thing numerous times while I was General of the Silver Knights? "You remind me too much of myself," I muttered. Glynda laughed, a lovely, hearty sound from the woman. "I should hope you mean that in a good way."

I smiled lightly. "I certainly didn't mean it in a _bad_ way." My hand went to her chin as I leaned in and kissed her softly, the woman standing on her tiptoes and returning it. This wasn't the first time, and I certainly hoped it wasn't the last; call us friends with benefits. 'Tastes like vanilla,' I thought idly with a grin as we parted, her face flushed pink. "I-I have to go deal with some paperwork," She said, stuttering cutely. I winked and whispered, "Save some time for me Glynda." As she turned around to walk off, I idly ran my eyes up and down her impressive, _curvaceous_ figure. " _What a woman..._ " I muttered under my breath before turning back to face the unconscious Maiden, my mood darkening once more as the state of the poor girl. I could hear her labored breathing, smell the fear coming off of her, and feel the damage that had been done to her. Her soul was intact, barely, and if she had aura, it was now gone, replaced by an empty void. That 'void' seemed to consume her vitality, the only thing keeping her alive being the machinery around her. I walked forward and put my hand on the glass of the chamber, closing my eyes and whispering, "I... may not know whom you are, but I promise to save you on my honor as a Knight of Gwyn." Out of pure instinct, I gave her the faintest, most minuscule wisp of my aura, and like I thought, that was consumed.

'Abyssal Power, obviously,' I thought with a glare. 'I'll just completely destroy it then!' I grit my teeth and put just a bit more aura into it, finally crushing it with sheer force. I opened my eyes, and she seemed a bit healthier, skin slightly more colored than its previous sickly brown complexion. " _Thank... you..._ " My eyes slammed open and I stepped back in a bout of shock. Quickly rushing back and placing a hand on the glass, I whispered, "You can hear me?" I was met with silence, but there was this new hum in the air around her soul... 'Her aura has returned!'

"Glynda, come quickly!" I roared over to the end of the hall. She was quick to sprint back (as to how she did so in heels, I may never know), a very worried expression on her face. "What's wrong, has she gotten worse?"

"Not at all," In answered, keeping my eye on Amber, "In fact, her aura is slowly beginning to return to her, the damage done being healed bit by bit." She quickly walked up to the chamber and placed her hand on the glass, feeling the faint aura as I did. She quickly turned to me, her eyes almost cutting and freezing me in place. "You gave her your aura." I set myself as steady as I could in case she decided to take out her wrath unto me. "That, I did."

"Do you realize how badly that could've ended!?" She roared, forcing a flinch from me. "All that talk about dangerous power, and then you went and did something so stupid not even one _minute_ later!" I scowled and crossed my arms. "Did you think I'd just violently pump aura into her? Please, I'm not _that_ pompous, and I'm certainly not stupid enough to do something like that. All I did was give her a mere _touch_ of my aura. Not to mention, whatever had been used on her contained the raw, devouring power of the Abyss, something that only us Deities are capable of taking care of. If left unchecked, advanced technology or not, she would have had her soul consumed." She breathed in like she was about to begin shouting again, but she deflated and conceded (which was a rare enough occurrence). "I... suppose I can't blame you if that's the case," She sighed before looking back at Amber. "But many before you have tried to restore her aura with their own, and all failed... so why you?"

"Chalk it up to my aura being very powerful and dense, I suppose," I said, a small grin on my face. "Though, I suppose that Rei could also achieve the same result, probably using more aura than me in the process. Destroying that did take more effort than I thought." I pondered aloud. "Anyway, get Ozpin down here right now. He needs to know that she can be healed."

 **(5 Minutes later...)**

"Honestly, I should have thought of this before," Ozpin sighed behind me as I slowly fed her more aura. "I sincerely thank you for what you've done Ornstein." Artorias and Ciaran were both present as well, standing by me with concerned expressions, especially in Artorias' case. "Please Headmaster, it's our duty as Deities to dispel the dark," I answered casually before I froze when I realized my poor choice in words, Artorias tensing up and his fist clenching. "Sorry brother, I did not mean-"

"It's... it's fine Ornstein," He sighed, doing his best to relax himself, Ciaran soothing him with a gentle squeeze to his arm and a healthy glare aimed at me. "After what happened last night, this is at the very least a small blessing." Indeed it was. The ruthless attack wasn't taken lightly not just by Vale, but by everyone who was watching around the world. All were roused into negative emotions at how brutally , the center of it being Vale of course, seeing as so many people were gathered into one place. Grimm activity had suddenly spiked, and despite the supposed reports where there shouldn't be any, already they were starting to come out of seemingly nowhere, just at the edge of the city border like wolves testing the defenses of a chicken-coup.

"Ornstein," Ozpin said, "I'll need you to remain down here for the next while, say at most two days to ensure Amber receives proper healing. Ciaran, Artorias, I need you to be sitting in the audience for the next Finals Matches to keep an eye out for anything potentially dangerous. I'm trusting you to put a stop to anything wrong that could happen." All three of us nodded, saying "Consider it done Headmaster," in complete tandem. We glanced at each other surprise before we all broke out into grins: we've only ever sounded so serious when given a grand mission. "...I _will_ get to eat, right?"

 **Jaune**

"Seven sisters? You're screwing with me," Raiden said bluntly. "Nope, that's actually the amount of siblings I have," I laughed before digging into my cotton-candy. "God help you, I can barely handle Kiko at times, I can't imagine having another six of her. No wonder you're so..." He gave me a look and I put my hand on my chest, pretending to be offended. "Well excuse me!" We both burst into laughter and he pat me on the back (he must've thought it was light, but _god_ it hit like a hammer!) "You're a funny guy Jaune Arc, I see why Pyrrha likes you." He said the last part in a really slow and emphasized way that made me look at him weirdly, like he was trying to suggest something obvious, which it was.

"Well yeah, that's why we're friends!" He gave me such a dead look before he slapped his hand into his forehead with a small, "Never-mind... anyway!" He quickly cheered up, before his face looked quite concerned. "How is she by the way? I haven't seen her often and when we do cross paths, she's... distant." He finished his soda and threw it away into a trashcan, crossing his arms as his brows furrowed. 'Huh, he does look a bit similar to Ren. Guess all Mistralian people do look alike... is that a racist thought to have?' I mentally slapped myself for the thought.

"I really hope it isn't because of the way I beat her." I shook my head, catching his attention. "Nah, it couldn't have been because of that. She really enjoyed the match and said she couldn't wait to try fighting you again. It was a few days after that was when she started to get quiet." I fidgeted a bit, worry creeping into me as the events of today in our dorm were recalled in my memory. Thanks to Nora and Ren's antics, she did smile a bit, but aside from that she still didn't talk much. "Eh, whenever you see her next, just talk to her and find out. She'll definitely open up to you," He said. I didn't realize he was watching me and knowing him, didn't want to infect me with any worries he felt.

"Yeah..." I grinned and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Speaking of girls, how's Yang?" Instantly, something about him changed. His usual tense, battle-ready posture suddenly relaxed, a small smile on his face as his cheeks went a bit pink. "She's... she's great." He tensed up again and the hardness returned to his face. "Why are you asking?"

"You are _so_ into her dude!" I laughed, his cheeks getting redder. "Please tell me you're planning to ask her out by the end of the Tournament?" It took a moment before he nodded, finally relaxing again and grinning. "...Is it pretty obvious that I like her?"

"Nope, you actually hide it pretty well," I answered, earning a curious look from him. "It's the small moments that I see between you two." He sighed and nodded. "It's just... God, she's so...!" Seeing this side of him made me laugh again, "Well, it's not as if she doesn't like you back. When the time's right, just go for it!"

"Coming from the guy who tried to do a serenade to Weiss, I think I can wait." We both stopped when we came across Pyrrha, sitting on the ground and leaning on the wall of the cafeteria. "I'll leave you two to it," He said quietly and left, as she hadn't noticed us. I nodded and smiled, glad I got two cotton-candy cones. Walking up to her, I caught her attention and asked, "You hungry?"

 **TWBY Continued...**

* * *

 **(A.N: So first off, I want to apologize about how late I've been with uploading his chapter, writers block and exams are a bitch to deal with. Also, Ornstein and Glynda... aren't really a thing; like I said, friends with benefits. Glad I finally managed to get this out though, after this, things go REALLY off the rail. Not all events are going to be the same, obviously, and the next match-up will certainly be an exciting one. Until then, peace out, and hope you like what you see!)**


	23. The end of the beginning of the end?

**(A.N: Hello once more everybody! Sorry again for the long-ass delay, finals coming up and whatnot, but I just about managed to finish this. Hope you guys are ready for this chapter, cuz' this is where things go right off the rails, aka the Second and last final's fight of the tournament... you have a pretty good idea what could happen. I own nothing but my OCs. Anyway, enjoy!)**

* * *

 **[Into the Dark]**

 **[Chapter 22]**

 **From Burst to Surge!**

 **The fight to the finish begins...**

* * *

 **Kagome**

 **(Some few hours ago...)**

"Sister, are you...sure about this?" Cinder asked seriously. "This girl has gotten quite powerful, and if you let her attack you, she might _actually_ injure you." I snorted and raised an eyebrow at her. "You really think that she has a chance of hurting me? _Me_? Please, I don't even need a portion of my awakening to deal with her. I can take her attack head-on and I'll _still_ come out on top." I grinned and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry about me, alright sister? This'll be nothing more than a warm-up for me before I move onto Raiden and break him as planned." Cinder deeply breathed in and nodded, finally conceding. "...Fine then. Just please don't get injured out there." I nodded and winked at her, grabbing my spear and strapping my armor on.

'This is going to be fun...' I thought, trying to hide my grin as best as I could.

 **(Current time, 8:28 pm)**

"Very fun indeed," I muttered under my breath. The final match up was to be decided within a few minutes, and though I knew exactly what it was going to be. The remaining contestants all looked nervous and excited, constantly checking their weapons and going over battle-strategies, all except Raiden, Yang and me. Raiden was simply meditating, small bits of orange aura wafting off of him from time to time. Yang was casually picking her nails, her eyes glancing from Raiden every now and then. It was during these times that Raiden opened his eyes and glanced back, the two of them breaking the gaze with a grin on each of their faces. Just looking at that made my blood begin to boil, scraping my arms. 'I swear, I'll maul her when I get the chance,' I thought savagely before managing to calm down. Distracting myself, I examined my spear just to make sure it was sharp enough, the pitch-black metal seeming to suck in the light from the air.

Looking around, I saw many more guards stationed in the crowd than normal in the last few fights; security had certainly beefed itself up. Not that it mattered, I could still rip through them like paper in the worst possible scenario. 'Hmm, still, as tempting as that sounds, it's best to stick with the original plan,' I sighed to myself before I slightly smirked. ' _After_ that, the bloodshed can begin.'

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting patiently," Ryuka's mother spoke through the speakers. "And finally we get to the next match-up of the tournament!" There were still cheers, but in comparison to the previous night, it wasn't as loud or as excited. Good. Raiden opened his eyes and tensed up, fists clenching as he readied himself for something terrible. Yang had put a hand on his shoulder, managing to calm him down if not just a bit. My nails bit into the palm of my hand so hard, I was sure that they would end up piercing through my aura. "We now look to the randomization-process to determine our first contender, which will be... Kagome Kuroken of Team DARK!" I cracked my neck and casually leaped into the middle of the arena, raising my hands in response to some of the cheers.

"And finally, we have..." Looking back at the seats meant for the finalists, I saw Raiden staring directly at me, and I couldn't help but wink. 'As much as I'd love to tangle with you again... you aren't my target.'

"Yang Xiao Long!"

The look on his face was _delicious_ ; his eyes widened in terror as he quickly looked to Yang. To my surprise (and slight annoyance) her face was strong and resolute, her eyes flashing red as they met my own. 'Well I've always enjoyed having a meal that struggles,' I thought as she Sky-Walked from the ground up onto the arena, landing right in front of me and warming up by bouncing on her toes. "I see that you've readied yourself to be defeated, just like our previous bout." I said offhandedly, twirling my spear and allowing pitch-black wisps of aura to waft off of it. Yang snorted and simply got into her fighting-stance, her aura beginning to rise around her, a complete opposite to my own with a soft golden sunlight. "I'm not the same person I was those months ago."

 **"BEGIN!"**

Faster than I expected, Yang dashed forward as rocketed a punch right into my face, and I quickly shifted back to block it with the flat of the spear-blade. What surprised me further was that despite my block, she had actually sent my skidding backwards, the strike far heavier and sharper than I had expected it to be... and she didn't even fire her weapon off. She didn't miss my reaction, smirking and saying, "Told ya so."

"Hmm. So it would seem." I quickly swung my spear wide, forcing her to leap back before I chased her down. Seems like I didn't need to, she simple strafed to the side and started to fire off as many dust-rounds as she could at me. "G-W.A.T!" I shouted, my faithful stand shimmering into existence next to me and simply erasing the projectiles. "Please, at least make this a bit interest-!" I was cut off as Yang's fist crashed into my side out of nowhere, forcing me to stumble backward as G-W.A.T quickly moved in to defend me, throwing quick and precise punches and kicks at Yang. Her hands were in a tight guard with her fists covering everything under her eyes as she bobbed and weaved through the blows, front time to time being forced to use her fists to intercept attacks that went too close.

'She wasn't joking, it isn't just a slight improvement in strength, she's improved dramatically in such a short space of time!' I thought as she finally slipped past my Stand, coming directly for me. 'Her physical strength, aura and even agility is far better than it should be. What gave her this power?' I quickly twirled and spun Blackthorn, keeping a good distance between myself and her before I lashed out repeatedly. Yang grit her teeth and stood her ground, moving her arms as fast as she could to block and deflect my many strikes. 'No matter, I'm still stronger... no, I'm **_greater_ ** than you!' Stepping in while she was distracted, I elbowed her in the face and swept her off her feet, transforming Blackthorn into its secondary form, a black and silver-edged longsword.

She quickly barrel-rolled away as I slammed the blade down into the ground repeatedly, dust, debris, and chunks of stone flying into the air. Still, she wasn't going to stay on the ground the whole time, and she managed to spring to her feet from a crouch, again leaping right at me. 'You know that isn't going to work...' She cocked her fist back, looking like she was going to attack me head on before she suddenly shot her weapon straight down, vaulting over me. 'So you'll feint and try to blindside me!' I pivoted on the spot and slashed behind me, solidly slashing her in the ribs. The look of pain on her face was a sight to behold, but instead of falling back, she grabbed Blackthorn with her bare hands, stepping in and head-butting me right on the nose, my vision flashing white. 'She was expecting that too!?'

She didn't waste any time, cracking her knuckles across my face with a point-blank shotgun blast and leaping her knee into my chin. Snarling, I grabbed her by the neck and and slammed the flat of the blade down on her ear with a loud *CLANG*, knocking her away from me as her equilibrium faltered. G-W.A.T phased back into existence, dashing in and absolutely pummeling her with a barrage of fists, pushing her back bit by bit. "Auric Arte: Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!" She roared, her aura exploding to its maximum and her fists shooting out in a barrage of her own and meeting my Stand blow for blow, each fist meeting each other with a sharp *BANG*, my own knuckles beginning to hurt from the connection we shared.

'She's matched him in his attack-speed!?' I nearly lost my temper and turned Blackthorn back into its spear-form and shouted, "Auric Arte: Deadzone Pierce!" Joining G-W.A.T, I unleashed a corkscrew-like blast of aura that rocketed straight into her chest, blasting her off of her feet and nearly launching her off the edge of the arena. While she was on the ground, her eyes went wide as she looked at her hands. Her aura was still there, but... "That's right, your auric defense is **Gone Without A Trace!** " I laughed as I bore down upon her. Yang looked back up at me and instead of trying to run-and-gun, like most people did after they realized what my semblance was, she let out a scream of, " **RED KING BURST!"** as her aura once more exploded, turning into a burning blood-red fire.

" **Just because my defense is gone doesn't mean you've won. Get ready, cuz' I'm coming for you Kagome!** " She acted well on her promise, barreling right at me full-force as she roared, " **SUNSET SMASH!** " My Stand quickly got in front of me and crossed his arms over his face, taking the full weight of the blow. It was so strong, it blew me clean off my feet and sent me tumbling back to the center of the arena, my arms throbbing. 'Dammit, she's strong enough to withstand the strain of the Burst as well! This may prove to be a bit difficult...' She didn't let up, leaping into the air and kicking off it rapidly, diving from the right and crashing into my guard, again knocking me back. On the ground now, she quickly Flash-Stepped to my left and cocked her fist back, but this time I was ready, gritting my teeth and swinging right back with my sword, the two forces meeting with a deafening *BANG* as both of us were blown away from each other.

'Shit, I may have cut her hand off...!' My mouth hung open as I saw her standing proudly with her fist wreathed in pure red flame-like Armament Aura, the only sign of damage on her being a bleeding gash across her knuckles. "That all you got?" She asked, the gash healing rapidly before she rushed right at me again, G-W.A.T appearing to once again intercept her. "Get out of my way! **Red Sun Smash!** " She shot forward and shot her foot right into his chin, the feeling of a sledgehammer striking both of us and whipping my head back. " **Red King Assault!** " Just like last time, she crashed into me with an over-hand left, speeding behind me and drop-kicking me into the air, slamming me back down with a kick to the face and finishing it off with a brutal right uppercut to my stomach, blasting the wind out of me and actually cracking my armor.

I coughed and tried to shake it off, standing up quickly. "Please, is that all _you_..!?" My vision went blurry for a second and I fell to a knee, my head swimming for a moment. "I've... _taken damage_?" I muttered, shocked. "Come on Kagome, with all that mouth, I was expecting more out of you!" Yang taunted me. "No wonder you got so paranoid, you can't stand it when you think someone's stronger than you, can you? Well tough luck, cuz' now there's _two_ people you need to worry about!"

" **NO...** " Something inside of me snapped and I looked directly at her, waves of Killer Intent directed at her forcing her to stop. " **YOU THINK YOU'RE STRONGER THAN ME!? I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT _REAL_ STRENGTH IS!** "

 **Raiden**

"Oh no... Yang opened her mouth, didn't she?" I asked Ruby, to which she only nodded. "In terms of raw power, I'm far ahead of Kagome, but when it comes to auric manipulation... she's even better than I am." Kagome's black aura roiled across the arena like smog, the stone tiles cracking and dissolving from her sheer power. Yang was frozen on the spot, her flaming red aura slowly being choked out. "Yang, you have to stay as far away from her as possible!" I roared, snapping her out of her trance. She glanced at me before her face went hard, her aura once again exploding into a red flame. "Dammit Yang, this isn't something you can fight!" Kagome grinned as if I proved her point and vanished, reappearing in front of Yang with her broadsword raised. Even with her power, speed, and reflexes doubled, she couldn't react in time as Kagome brutally brought her blade down right in Yang's forehead with a deafening *CLANG*, the entire crowd flinching, me included.

She was slammed into the ground as was helpless for a beating even more one-sided than when I waled on Pyrrha, Yang getting hit with full-power stomps, kicks, punches, sword-strikes and every other legal thing you could think of. Even through the ruthless blitz, I could see the cut on her forehead and how dazed she looked, only getting worse as she continued to get pummeled. Her aura was at 45% and dropping rapidly while Kagome still remained at a respectable 72%.

"Sunset Blast!" Yang roared, dumping aura into her hands and firing them up for all she was worth, and explosion bathing the place in a blood-red light for a moment, Kagome having been sent flying back. Though shaky, Yang was on her feet with her hands up, her red eyes focused once again. When I saw Kagome with her own face scrunched up in pain and disbelief, I couldn't help myself as I stood up and yelled, "GO GET HER YANG!"

"Raiden, didn't you just say it was a bad idea for her to fight head-on?" Ruby asked, on the edge of her seat. "Kagome needs to physically hit Yang with a semblance-infused aura-blast and maintain concentration in order to erase her defense. Now that she's been caught off guard and she's gone half-crazy with rage, Yang's defensive property of her aura's back. She won't get another chance like this!" Yang was on it instantly, dashing forward and firing off shots from Ember Celica. The Stand did its best to deflect and erase shots, before stopping Yang with a powerful sidekick into her guard. Kagome didn't sit around either, wildly swinging and stabbing with her spear, hitting Yang in the stomach, sides, arms and legs. Just as it seemed Yang was about to get overwhelmed again, she surprised everybody with what she did next. " **RED KING BURST... _TIMES THREE_** _!_ "

Yang's power _exploded_ , the red flame of her aura engulfing her and tripling in size as she let loose a blood-curdling scream, wind-pressure wildly tearing slabs of stone from the floor of the arena, blowing hats away and knocking Kagome back. "Christ Yang, don't kill yourself, this is just a match!" I shouted. 'Still though... she's even stronger than my natural one-hundred percent!'

"I'm... not done yet!" She said in a strained voice.

"Are you _kidding_ me!?" Ruby cried out, "Yang, just stop!"

" **TIMES THREE... _SURGE!_** " All of a sudden, the massive flame around her vanished, and for a moment, my heart leaped into my chest as I felt her power vanish. I was about to leap over into the stage before I saw what she was doing. She was simply standing there, but she'd..changed. Tips of her hair looked like they were dyed blood-red, the biggest veins closest to the surface of her skin were glowing red, and finally, thin, transparent red flames were pouring sideways out of her eyes. "What in the hell...?" I muttered. I had never seen anything quite like this before, despite having felt Yang's power almost entirely disappear, my gut instincts told me that this wasn't the case. Kagome actually calmed down, interested by Yang's new development. Yang simply stared back at her, glaring before she slowly got into a stance, red sparks racing across her skin.

Yang completely disappeared, reappearing in front of Kagome and rocketing a straight-right into her face with an audible *CRACK*, her head whipping back from the vicious blow. She tired to strike back, stabbing with her longsword in an expert motion and hitting nothing but air. Yang was already next to her, fists cocked back to deliver another barrage of strikes. "What happened to her?" Ruby asked, completely captured by the beat-down that Yang was giving Kagome. "It's like she's... transformed in a way." Looking at Yang and trying to feel out her power, it was similar to what Oro did when he when into his Pale Beast form, except her aura was far more concentrated and contained. "She's somehow managed to contain and condense the power-output of the Burst. He body isn't being damaged by overflowing power anymore, and every bit of her energy is being used for her fight... but there's one thing that worries me."

"What would that be?" Ruby asked.

"Her stamina. Trying to contain that much power takes a massive toll on her stamina; she might not last for another minute like that before the power explodes out of her." Yang looked determined to finish the fight as quickly as possible, hitting Kagome with everything she had. Kagome didn't take anything lying down, attacking wildly with her stand and her weapon. Yang simply dodged every single thing she threw at her, slipping under another thrust and countering with a powerful hook. "Blazing Sunset Smash!" she roared, slamming a fist into Kagome's stomach, blasting Kagome back and bringing her to her knees, hacking up spit and drool. Looking at Yang again, my heart did a flip in my chest: she was already laboring to breath, sweat pouring down her face. 'Shit, it's barely been thirty seconds and she can't take it!'

"I WILL NOT LOSE TO SOME WRETCH LIKE YOU!" Kagome screamed as her black aura burst off of her once more. " **MYSTIC ARTE!** " The silhouette of her stand seemed to surround her as she pointed her spear at Yang, massive amounts of aura pooling into it. "Yang, you have to get out of the way!" Ruby shouted. Yang turned to look at me and Ruby, winking before looking back at her opponent and cocking her fist back with a roar of, " **MYSTIC ARTE!** " Thick red and gold wisps of aura formed around her in the shape of a massive, Mistralian-type dragon with whiskers and antlers, its mouth wide open and bearing a row of thick, razor-sharp teeth ready to tear into its opponent.

 **"SUNSET DRAGON FIST!"**

 **"PURE ERASURE!"**

The two attacks met with a deafening _***BOOM***_ , a shockwave tearing holes through the Dust-Shields which were protecting the crowd. I managed to keep me eyes on the impact, with Yang continuously propelling herself forward with her attack, trying to break through the pure black beam of aura. It didn't take a genius to know that one of them would soon give out either in aura or is spirit (which in that case was unlikely). Even with her newfound power, she was being pushed back by Kagome's attack, her aura beginning to crackle and fade. She was draining fast, and she knew it: yet, the look in her eyes only got stronger, red flames pouring out at a faster rate as she grit her teeth and roared, **"RED KING BURST... TIMES FOOOOOOUUR!** " Her aura seemed to be torn out of her from the sheer amount of power she let loose, every single stone tile being ripped from the floor of the arena with a bloody flash of light and debris. The shields barely managed to hold out for a few more moments as chunks of stone flew at the crowd before it gave out, shattering entirely... not that many people were looking in the first place to see it happen.

As soon as the dust cleared somewhat, my eyes instantly shot to the Display, and my heart sank as I saw Yang's aura at a measly 1% with Kagome resting at 16%. "It's over..." I muttered, almost sinking into my seat. "H...Hey, look!" Ruby shouted, pointing at arena. Yang was face-down on the ground and was struggling to get up, and _dear gods_ she was in bad shape. Her right fist and arm was clearly broken, her finger-less gloves having been torn off to reveal the broken bones sticking out the back of her hand while her forearm was where the clean break was. Capillaries closest to the surface of her skin had burst open from the insane rise in blood-pressure and caused massive amounts of bruising all over her body. However, as bad as Yang looked... Kagome may not have been as badly hurt, but if I could describe the look on her face, it was broken. Yang's burst of power had been powerful enough to launch her not just off the ring, but down through the damn stone to lie in a crater.

"...And the winner of this match-up, by explosive Ring-Out... is Yang Xiao Long!"

 **Yang**

"...Oh shit, I won?" I muttered, grinning deliriously as pain began to set in, and there was a whole shit-ton of it. I managed to get into a kneeling position as the crowd burst into cheers. With my right pretty much destroyed, I raised my left hand high into the air, my fist clenched as I let out a hoarse cry of " _Hell yeah!_ " Pain shot through my arm and I winced, moving to cradle it before it got any worse. Raiden and Ruby were already rushing in to help me, joy and worry mixed on their faces. " **And what makes you think I'll let you get away with that?** " My stomach suddenly exploded with pain, the last of my aura vanishing in an attempt to defend me from the kick that broke one of my ribs, my body tumbling across the floor. My chest felt painfully tight and I couldn't breathe, but I managed to look up and see Kagome standing over me, her eyes completely black with a look of pure rage on her face, her aura billowing around her. People were crying out in shock and hate at the sudden action, even more-so than when Mercury attacked Raiden. Confused, I looked at the Display and saw her aura quickly replenishing itself, her power rising as it did so. She raised her spear and stabbed me right through the gut, and though it wasn't even that deep, even more pain tore through me as my vision got hazy. I heard something like a loud, bellowing scream, but I realized that it was me making the noise.

"YANG!" Ruby screamed, taking out Crescent Rose and charging at Kagome with a fierce look on her face. Raiden was even faster, flying through the air and launching himself into her. She simply leaped up and gave the three of us a deadly look. "I hope you've enjoyed your time here, because Beacon Academy falls tonight!" She snarled before she vanished, flying out through the top of the Arena. As soon as she left, the two sprinted over to me and Raiden instantly began to pump his aura into me, the warm, soothing sensation slowly healing me. "Bite onto my hand, this is gonna hurt," He commanded. I nodded but still took care not to bite too hard until he quickly pulled and reset the bones in my arm. " _MMMMPH_!" I couldn't help it as I screamed and chomped down, but he completely ignored it and continued to heal me, the flesh in my stomach and bones in my arm and hand knitting together perfectly. The pain faded away not too long after that, and I could feel Raiden doing his best to replenish my aura.

"Gods, are you okay Yang?" He asked, propping me to sit up. Ruby practically threw herself on me and was near tears, so I put on my best smile and gave a thumbs up. "Been better, but... I'll live. Still, was she serious about Beacon falling?" The speakers in the stadium suddenly crackled with sound and the super-large Viewing Screen was replaced with the image of a Black Queen chess-piece. " **This was not an accident. This wasn't a heated mistake. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your _children_ to the men who claim to be our guardians.** " Ruby tensed up as she held her weapon tightly. "I know that voice, that's Cinder, the leader of Team CMNE and the same team that bailed after Mercury attacked Raiden!"

" **In reality... they are just men. The Academies' Headmasters hold enough power to control entire armies, and one was even audacious enough to control _both_ , all while hiding secret weapons of his own. Yet, despite all this power, what do we have here? One student insane enough to use a technique that could wipe out everyone in the crowd, and another who's pride drove them to nearly kill the other. This begs the question... what is Ozpin, what is Lionheart teaching his students? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor, mercy, and restraint, yet I don't think I've seen neither. Perhaps... assured victory for Beacon through any means could allow people to forget its failure in protecting Vale from the Grimm pouring into the streets not even two months ago. Perhaps this is a message to the tyrannical general that has occupied this unsuspecting kingdom with heavily armed forces.**"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw General Ironwood storm up through the crowd on his way to the Commentator Booth while Penny stayed in her seat. I raised an eyebrow as her and Ruby looked directly at each other and they passed something important in that look. " **Honestly? I can't tell who's right or wrong at this point, but I know the existence of peace is fragile. The leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves, and as someone who hails from Mistral, I can tell you that the situation is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, and you will all soon know this fact. When this first shots are fired... who do _you_ think you can trust?** " The transmission suddenly cut off and it left the thousands of people watching in stunned silence. Something in my gut told me that this wasn't just broadcast in Vale, but world-wide. The Speakers blared and this time a less-foreboding voice spoke. The message, however, was literally the exact opposite of the voice's tone.

" _Alert, Incoming Grimm Attack. Threat-Level: 10. Evacuate the area immediately, do not seek refuge in City-based shelters._ " The reaction was instant, some people leaping out of their seats and scrambling for the exit with no small amount of screaming. "A ten, are you fucking serious!?" Raiden roared, "That's what she had planned!? I should've killed her when I had the chance!" I laid a hand on his shoulder and he managed to calm down somewhat, though every part of him was still completely tensed up. "Hey... something's coming-!" Something massive landed not even ten meters away from the three of us, all of us knocked back from the wind pressure.

"Shit, a Giant Nevermore!" I shouted, leaping to my feet before blood rushed to my head and I collapsed to my knees. "Stay down Yang, you still haven't been fully healed yet. Ruby and I'll take care of this!" I watched as the two team leaders barreled head-on, Raiden jumping right at its face and blasting his knuckles into its beak while Ruby dashed around with her semblance, slashing away at its chest and legs. It whirled around, trying to bite and throw them back with flaps of its giant wings, but both of them were just too fast for something so big. Sill though, it was tough, far tougher than the one our team fought during initiation, and it was pretty clear that while both Raiden and Ruby wanted to finish the thing off quickly, they were also trying to save stamina and aura for what was to come. They didn't really need to. From the sky, it rained a dozen of the rocket-fitted lockers, crashing down and impaling the Nevermore repeatedly as it tried to lunge at Ruby, giving a loud screech before falling limp.

"Geez, talk about a convenient-ass airstrike," I chuckled as a handful of the competitors climbed their way onto the beast and grabbed their weapons. Just as everything went quiet, the Nevermore suddenly rumbled and screeched again, slowly getting up with a mad look in its eyes. "Arslan!" Raiden shouted to the girl that I fought during the 4v4 rounds, "Cripple the legs!" The two of them went through the motions like they've been fighting together for years, as they leaped under it and pounded away at its legs, breaking them completely. Nora was the next to attack, sliding across his face and slamming her war-hammer right into its face, it's dazed head crashing into the floor. "Yang, hit'im right in the kisser!" Ruby called. I grinned and leaped forward, opting to use my left hand as my aura flared back to life and I swing my fist right up into it's beak with a shout of "Sunlight Smash!" It's head was flung upward just in time as two dudes wielding massive swords chopped its head clean off.

As its body dissipated, everyone stood there for a moment, blood pumping with fear and anger. Then my legs suddenly gave out as my vision swam, my body faltering before Raiden quickly steadied me. "Don't over-exert yourself for now, you need all the rest you can get." I wanted to just fall limp in that moment and let him carry me, but I steeled myself and stood up. "With what's about to happen, there's no time to rest. I'm not dying right now, so don't worry about me." His mouth twitched into a small smile, slowly letting go and letting me stand on my own. "Never one to let anything hold you down, huh?" I returned to smile and replied, "Not for too long, I guess."

"Griffins!" Neptune shouted, directing everyone's attention to the upper rim of the stadium. The winged horse-like beasts let loose deep, grating roars before leaping down with talons ready and mouths wide open. They never even got close to us. "Final Shine Attack!" A beam of light royal-blue aura turned the bulk of them into nothing before multiple flaming gunshots took out the surviving few. All of use turned in surprise to see Professor Port, Doctor Oobleck and Raiden's mother standing there, combat ready with their weapons at the ready. Ruby's eyes shined for a moment as she saw Rei's signature broken katana, the metal designs glowing with her powerful aura before she was snapped back to attention. "Alright people, listen up!" Miss Ryuka said sharply. "We're going to find the nearest ship, take as many people as we can, and fly down to the air-docks. Then we'll make sure we can save as many people possible before we rally up and destroy every Grimm in our path. Understand?"

"Yes Ma'am!" All of us said back, Raiden sporting a giant grin on his face. "The fate of innocent people and you school, Beacon Academy rests in your hands. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?" She roared.

"YES MA'AM!" We roared back, our blood pumping with adrenaline once more. More Griffins and smaller human-sized Nevermore were starting to "Barty and I will cover the students from behind while we get out of here," Professor Port said, hefting his weapon. "But we can help-!" Ruby started before Oobleck cut her off. "Miss Rose. Today will be a day that will surely go down in history. I'd _prefer_ it if my students lived to tell about it." I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, calming her down as she nodded. "Let's move out people!" Rei said, leading us to the exit. Though the Professors were taking out most of the Grimm behind us with ease, there were some that managed to get over them and attack us, but Ruby was quick to whip out the compact form of Crescent Rose and fire on them, the high caliber bullets tearing through them with ease. "Yang, as soon as we get down there, I need you to look for Blake and Weiss!" Ruby said as soon as we managed to get into the nearest available Airbus which had just enough room for us, Port and Oobleck closing the metal door behind us. "You can count on me sis-"

"And try not to get into a fight in the process," She interrupted sternly. "You're still not fully healed, okay?" Just as she said that everyone in the ship shouted and gasped in shock at something. "Holy crap, one of the Warships just destroyed the other one!" We all rushed to the window and indeed, it was mercilessly firing powerful dust-cannons on its own team. Rei's eyes glowed as she squinted at it, pausing for a moment. "...Torchwick's the one at the helm. Him and some girl with pink and brown hair." Ruby and I went to shock for a moment before my little sis growled, storming to the back of the Airbus and opening the hatch. "Ruby, don't even think about it!" I shouted, fear lancing through me. She looked at me and her eyes went soft before she hugged me tightly. "Yang, I need to do this. If he gets control of that thing, he'll be the closest thing the invincible. He'll rain down explosives and nobody will survive. Please." Worried, I hung onto her for a second before I let her loose. "...Kick his ass for us, okay sis?" She smiled and shot off with her semblance, literally flying through the air back towards the Colosseum. "She'll be fine, she's a strong one," Arslan said, comforting me a bit.

We touched down not too long after and were instantly met with several Atlesian Androids. "Oh good, some reinforcements-!" Coco said before they pivoted around and aimed their gun's at us. "OH SH-!" Miss Ryuka and Raiden were already on the move, dashing out and tearing them apart with ease. "Looks like the Warship wasn't the only thing Torchwick got control of," Raiden commented sarcastically, wiping some grease off his hands. I quickly ran out and took out my Scroll out, about to call Blake before Raiden stopped me. "Y-Yang!...Please be careful?" I raised a brow at him. "You're going go after Kagome yourself, aren't you?" He sighed and nodded. "So then shouldn't I be saying that to you?" He grinned lightly at that. "No need, but a bit of luck would be nice." I smiled and squeezed his arm. "Take care anyway." He nodded and turned away, about to break into a sprint.

Something in the pit of my stomach made me yelp, "Raiden!" He stopped, curious as I jogged up to him. My face started to heat up at what I was about to do, but there was no way in hell I was going to leave without this. I grabbed him by the shoulders and lightly pressed my lips against his, a dizzying thrill coursing through me before we separated. His eyes were wide and his own cheeks slightly pink. For a split second, I wondered if I'd completely missed the mark before his eyes glowed and he softly kissed me again, his hands wrapping around my waist and pulling me close, deepening the kiss. I was shocked at first before I nearly exploded with joy, my hands on his shoulders. It lasted for a good few seconds before he separated, a small but bright smile on his face. "...I'll repay that."

"Huh?" I asked, a bit confused.

"When we're not in the middle of a war-zone, when we're safe, when we meet again... I'll repay that ten times over." So many thoughts ran through my head, and I felt my cheeks burn at how confidently he said that. He kissed me again, shorter but equally thrilling before he said, "Don't die okay?" And he flew off. I stood there, my entire body buzzing and feeling lighter than ever. "You done basking in the afterglow?" Miss Ryuka's voice snapped me out of my daze and embarrassment flooded through me. She chuckled and was about to shout to the others, but something stopped her. Her entire body went rigid and her eyes went wide, for for a moment I didn't know what was wrong... then the pressure hit us. Sheer, unforgiving, electrifying pressure that made all of us freeze on place, some of us even collapsing to a knee. "W-What the hell is-!?" I strained. Miss Ryuka clenched her fist: she was able to move just fine, but the look on her face was dead-serious. "What the hell is he doing here?"

In a blinding flash, white lightning struck the ground and the pressure increased tenfold, all of us forced to a knee. As soon as the blinding light cleared, we all looked up to see... someone. That someone was a man, an incredibly tall man with white, flowing, golden-armored tuxedo-like robes, boots and gauntlets, a pair of white and gold-gilded nanchaku at his hip. His sandy blond-haired face looked a bit old, maybe late forties or fifties, but his body reeked of power, incredibly well built muscles pulling at the cloth and metal. Though this was the first time I'd ever felt pressure like this, it was still unmistakable to what I'd first felt when I fought Professor Artorias. 'This pressure... now way, he's...!'

"Well, Rei Ryuka, it's been quite a while," He spoke smugly, pride oozing from him. "I was expecting your husband to be here, but it appears he's a bit late." Her aura flared to life and she gripped her sword. "Yeah, well until he gets here, you'll have to deal with me... Deus, The Prideful god of Lightning!" Everyone stared at him in shock (pun slightly intended), awe and fear: everybody had grown up with bedtime stories from around the world, and one of them was stories from the Mistralian God-King Deus. He had enough power to wipe out a mountain, and here he was, standing right in front of us with the intent to do what he did best: destroy. He laughed and uncrossed his arms, the pressure suddenly vanishing as it seemed to be pulled tightly back to himself. "Haha, I suppose you can provide adequate entertainment until he arrives. Shall we?" She appeared in front of him, her fist cocked back as her power spiked. "Let's dance, you monster!"

 **Ciaran**

"Artorias, behind you!" I shouted. He flawlessly pivoted and chopped a Beowolf in two, stepping off to the side and decapitating an Ursa, its weak swipe bounding off of his armor. Satisfied, I turned back to my own fight and continued to lacerate and Alpha Beowolf, tearing it to shreds before moving onto the next one. Weiss, Claire and Oro were holding their own pretty easily, though Blake was currently in a call with her other teammate. "Okay, meet you up where? By the library... and protect as many civilians as we can?...Okay, just be careful. See you soon... Yang, okay, that's really great, but we're _kinda_ in the middle of a war zone!" She 'hung up' as they call it and drew her weapon, defending herself from a pack of Creeps.

"Time out, is it just me or are those suspiciously unmarked Bullheads dropping Grimm on us?" Oro pointed up, and indeed there were several, some people managing to notice it and run away just before Grimm dropped onto their heads. "They're attacking Beacon as well!?" Weiss looked furious, but the look on Oro, Claire and Blake's face was that of disgust and shame, understandable for their Faunus heritage. Artorias was instant in his reaction, staring at the closest Bullhead before his sword was coated in black and dark-blue swirls of his aura. He snarled and swung up wildly, a powerful arc of his aura slicing through the Bullhead before it exploded, instantly killing all who were inside. Everyone, myself included, looked at him in shock at the cold action from someone who was normally caring and kind. "Anyone who isn't on our side, don't be afraid to use lethal force. Am I clear?" They nodded with a bit of hesitation before he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, motioning for them to go.

As soon as they left, he deflated with a defeated look on his face. "...Artorias...?" I slowly put a hand on his shoulder, wondering what was wrong. "Forgive me love, I just... lashed out. Seeing this reminds me too much of... well, you know." Remembering why we were even here was already painful enough, but having to live through such a thing again... I nodded and pulled his head down to kiss him on the cheek. "Yes. We lost Gough. But nobody will die without a fight. Okay?" He smiled and kissed back before he straightened up, holding his sword more confidently. "Thank you love. Now, shall we go back to defeating the forces of darkness?" I laughed and gripped my Tracers a bit tighter setting my feet into a comfortable stance. That brief moment of joy vanish when a random thought crossed my mind as we were hacking and slashing our way through the number of Grimm.

"Artorias, you heard what the Threat-Level of this attack was, right?"

"Level 10, why do you ask?"

"There are hordes of the normal, rather weak Grimm, but if it's a 10... then where's the Continental?" The moment I said that, a wave of something horrifying and utterly evil rolled across the land the forming an earthquake a feeling that was far too similar to... "Manus!?" Artorias quickly shook his head. "No. This feeling is similar, you are not wrong about that, but there's something distinctly different about it. I can't really say, but it's just not his." In the distance, there was a loud booming and crackling sound like that of rocks being violently broken in the distance, specifically from Mountain Glenn, which was where the Grimm specifically seemed to be coming from. As we burst through the trees and into one of the open gardens, we looked just in time to see the main Mountain erupt open and spew forth a massive Grimm Wyvern, almost as big as some of the colossal stone dragons which we fought as young knights. Marching towards Beacon and Vale were hordes of Grimm, from the smallest of beasts to the biggest titans, though none as big as the Wyvern. "I've... never seen a lesser-Dragon look so _big_!" I gasped. "I didn't even think Manus had the power to affect something so large either..." Both of us had our eyes drawn to a white, humanoid speck right on the top of the Wyvern's mask before it suddenly jumped. His eyes went wide and he gripped his blade tighter, quickly shifting into his sword-stance. "Ciaran, brace yourself!"

I shrieked as something landed barely a few meters away from us, dirt and plant torn from the ground and flung into the air, though Artorias wrapped his arm around my waist to ensure I wasn't thrown backward. The dust didn't have time to settle as it was forcefully blown away by... "Abyssal Aura," Artorias muttered, surprised and slightly enraged. The figure standing in front of us was the same height as Artorias, but that's just about where their similarities ended. It was dressed fully in bone-plating armor that all Grimm had, white with multiple red markings across it. The armor itself was the kind you'd see on a heavy knight, covering him from head to toe with a thick breastplate, spiked shoulder-plates and even its boots were armed with spikes at the tips. His helmet was similar to that of an Elite Astoran Knight from our time, but punching through the right side of its cranium was a curved, jagged horn, red eyes glowing through the slit in his visor. Finally, he lifted his massive stark-white bone blade, the same length and twice the thickness of Artorias' (admittedly, my wind wandered for a moment and I had to shake myself back into reality) and pointed it right at him.

" **Knight Artorias the Abysswalker, Deity of the Sword!** " He boomed in a deep, gravelly voice. " **I am Tyrant, General of the army of Grimm. In the name of Darkness, I've come to destroy you and- AAGH!** " He was caught off guard as Artorias and I leaped right at him, Artorias swinging down with all his might while I stabbed both Tracers forward, calling upon the magic that lay within them. While my Silver Tracer bounced off its armor, my Golden one found a chink and stabbed right up to the hilt, black blood spewing from the puncture. Artorias nearly cleaved him in half from the right shoulder had it not jumped back at the last second, the wound still reaching to its black heart. To our shock, it only laughed, a deep, manic cackling as black ichor flowed from its fatal wounds. " **Alright then, this is much more my type of start!** "

"We aren't here to play fair!" I snarled, flicking the ichor off of my Tracer. " **Good, I've always enjoyed it when they decide to fight dirty. Ever since I've read about you as a young prince, I've always wondered if I was powerful enough to tear the head from your body.** " He grunted and the wounds slapped themselves together, healing over seamlessly, even his armor repaired itself in seconds. The glow of his red eyes increased in brightness and black smog seemed to leak through the cracks in his armor. " **I'm so glad I've been given the chance to rip you both to shreds!** " The black smog, instead of leaking, seemed to now spew violently out of the gaps in his armor, like a response to his emotions.

" **However...** " He sighed and calmed down, " **I can't do that just yet. I still have to wait for Lady Cinder to claim her birthright and retrieve the Relic.** **Then I'll have my fun with you.** " He cackled again and leaped back into the air, grabbing onto the tip of the Wyvern's talon. "Bastard!" Artorias growled, ready to leap right after him before he calmed down, breathing deeply and closing his eyes. "For now, we need to ignore him and try to save as many people as we can. There are still a couple hundred people on campus right now, so let us do our best to save them." Wordlessly, we went back to work, hacking, slashing and tearing our way to the courtyard, where several students were holding their own but were ultimately stuck.

"Everyone, get down!" I roared as I poured aura into my Silver Tracer and activated its special magic. "Sacred Relic: Poison Blight!" Slashing as hard as I could, a wave of purple and grey aura passed through all of the Grimm in front of me. They all turned around, confused as it seemed like no damage was done before they set their eyes on me, ready to pounce. The would have if the poison within my attack hadn't begun to eat at their flesh and bones, their bodies collapsing as their very muscles rotted away in a matter of moments. "Is anybody injured!?" Artorias asked, quickly rushing to one of the First-year students who had fallen to a knee. "I've... been much better," The student, who I recognized as Lie Ren, had a very depleted aura, and was clutching at a fairly deep stab at his side, most likely from the talon of a Beowolf. Nora and the rest of his team was by his side, Arc standing ready with his shield up. "Paladin incoming!" Artorias again was quick to respond, charging at the hulking metal shell.

"Pyrrha, I need you place your hands on his chest and slowly give him aura while I stop the bleeding." She nodded and did just that while I started to move towards his wound with my Golden Tracer. "Hey, I thought you said you were gonna stop the bleeding, not stab him again!" Nora shouted, clearly distressed. I quickly silenced her with a well-placed glare before I touched the tip of the blade to his wound, the bleeding stopping instantly as the wound knit itself together thanks to Pyrrha's expert auric manipulation. "Better?" He smiled lightly and pat his side. "Still a bit tender, but yes, I'm much better now. Thanks Pyrrha, Professor Ciaran." Everyone else was staring at Artorias as he systematically tore apart the Paladin, cartwheeling over a punch and slashing off its right fist, slipping under another swing and severing its arm completely. He roared as he pivoted and channeled aura into his fist, breaking its leg with a loud *CRUNCH*, its body listing to the side.

"Auric Arte: Wolf Hunt!" He thrust his blade forward as aura swirled around the attack like a spiraling drill and ripping through the center of it, metal hunks and scraps flying everywhere before he pulled his blade out, standing tall as it fell backward. He looked back at the students, his eyes hard as he shouted, "Do not let your guard down! Keep your eyes and minds in the fight-!" He was cut off by an Atlesian Warship floating above us: A hatch on its belly opened up and something big and rather familiar fell out. "Everyone, get away!" We all managed to dive out of the way of the Mark II Metal Gear Ray just as it landed, the concrete pulverized under its feet. "Ocelot! Watch where you're landing that thing!" I shouted up, annoyed before it turned to look at me, its visors glowing red. "You have got to be kidding me, that thing's been corrupted as well!?" Its face opened up and it let loose a metallic screech, the cannon in its mouth glowing red-hot.

"Auric Arte: Kong Gun!" Out of nowhere, a flash of gold slammed into the side of the Ray's jaw, blasting its head up as it fired a concentrated beam of flame and lightning-dust that would've tore through the aura of any student here. "Thanks for the save Oro!" The monkey Faunus grinned as he landed, golden fur covering his body in his new transformed state. "You guys go, I've got this big hunk of metal!" He sprinted towards it as his hands moved in a quick pattern before shooting out in front of him, shouting, "Burning Flash!" His beam of aura met another blast from the Ray, both of them engaged in a clash of power. However, certain portions on the wings on the Ray opened up and several turrets popped out all pointing at Oro. I quickly rushed in and leaped into the air, slashing at the missiles fired at him while Coco Adel brought out her Gatling-gun, focusing her fire at the side of the Dust-Cannon, damaging it bit by bit, weakening the beam.

Oro grit his teeth and roared, blasting even more aura into his attack and pushing back the Ray, the head trying to 'swallow' the auric beam before it exploded, seemingly disorienting it. "Tch, still pretty undamaged," Oro huffed. "What the hell is this thing anyway? It's clearly Atlas tech, but I don't think I've ever seen them make something _this_ powerful." I raised my aura and stood beside him, smirking. "Ultimately, it is still something for us to break!" Artorias laughed as he stood with us, sword at the ready. "As crude as that sounds, you aren't wrong. Let's break it!"

 **Rei**

 **(Que Music: Asura's Wrath OST: Deus' Theme)**

"Come now Ryuka, I was expecting much more from you!" Deus taunted. "No weak mortal can capture the heart of the God of Wrath, so show me your strength!" I set my teeth and continued to strike at him, doing my best to block his heavy blows. 'He's using his electric discharge to try and numb my limbs. If I can't land a decisive blow, he'll eventually wear down my aura enough to affect me.' I put more effort into my attack slipping by a punch and trying to punch him in his chin. He leaned back and nearly slammed his knee into my stomach, instead destroying the statue behind me. "Please, you call yourself the God-King and you aren't able to put me down yet?" I taunted back, swinging a roundhouse-kick at his chest, using my aura to add a bit more power into it. He blocked it, but it sent him flying back into a pillar, the stone crumbling on top of him.

He casually threw it off of himself and engaged me again, though there was a spark of something in his eyes: surprise. "I'll give you this much, your blows aren't _that_ worthless." His fist crashed into my guard, and I winced as my arms throbbed. Ignoring it, I struck back even harder.

"I'm not like you," I admitted as I pressed my attack further, dashing in and throwing him into the air. "I'm not a Deity, and I might not be as strong as you are. I might not be the closest thing to immortal... but who gives a damn!?" I flew up after him, ducking under a back-handed swing and ramming my foot into his face. "Yeah, you're stronger and faster than me. Yeah you've got hundreds of years of experience... but I've got something you lack, you spineless false deity!" He had an annoyed look on his face as he shot an open hand into my stomach a bolt of lightning, throwing me back but barely hurting me from the aura I was letting loose. "I've got fightin'-spirit on my side!" Not to toot my own horn, but my Semblance, Braveheart, was an incredibly powerful one. The feeling of battle brought out this wild, passionate emotion within me: the more I experience that emotion, the greater my aura would swell in size and amount. Besides, against Deus, I didn't really have much of a choice.

" **Auric Arte!** " I let my aura swell even larger, five meters thick in my own spirit as I brought out Heavenbreak and focused my aura around it in moments, taking the shape of a giant, seven-foot long odachi. My vision was tinted in blue, and I grinned as I knew my aura had formed around my eyes to form its triangle-shaped 'glasses', a signature of my semblance if you will. " **Sword of Courage!** " I roared as I swung down at at him with all my might, the blade of aura crashing on top of his head as his eyes went ridiculously wide before he shot down straight into the ground. I grimaced at that: I should've kept him in the air to try and minimize the collateral damage, but I had to beat him before he decided to get serious. Dropping out of the air, I slammed the blade down on his prone form again, flinging him to the side and through the roof of the Academy's dorm building.

Again I leaped after him, finding him embedded in a wall. I roared and slashed away with abandon, tearing apart my surroundings and tossing Deus around through the building, crashing through dorm-room after dorm-room. He tried to regain his balance, but I kept putting pressure on him, making my aura-blade smaller and swinging upwards, sending him through the roof and back into the air. 'Now's my chance!' I shot upward and poured as much aura into my sword as I could. " **Mystic Arte!** " I thrust straight up with all of my might, aura spewing forward right at Deus as my blade grew ten-times it's size. " **HEAVEN-PIERCING SWORD!** " I slammed right into him, my power hitting him dead-on with a resounding ***BOOM*** , the entire sky lighting up with blue. My aura faded and I took deep breaths, staying in the air and keeping my guard up. " _Reeeally_ hope that one got him..." I muttered. "Knowing my luck though..."

White lightning tore through the air and I quickly dodged, raising my aura again as Deus appeared in front of me. the sleeves of his white tuxedo had been burnt and torn away, slight bruises forming on his forearms and solar-plexus where I attack had hit him. A small trickle of blood drew a line down the side of his mouth, but the expression on his face was one of satisfaction and glee. I sighed and went back into my fighting-stance. "Damn, was kinda hoping that my attack would do the trick, but you're tougher than you look old man." He laughed and clapped, a genuinely impressed look on his face. "Well, I'd be lying if I said that didn't sting somewhat. For a human to push yourself this far... count me as impressed. Forgive me for calling you weak... respect is due where respect is due after all." He held his arms out to his sides as his aura started to waft off of him, the air smelling like ozone.

"Now, I think it's time for us both to stop holding back so much. Shall we?" I cracked my knuckles and neck, smiling slightly. As evil as he was, Deus was still a somewhat honorable fighter, and I had to pay my respect to that. "Yeah... round two!"

 **Raiden**

"You're... the one behind all of this? Not only that... you're with the Grimm!?" Kagome casually sat upon the back of a Boarbatusk, stroking the mask on its head before hopping off. "I wouldn't say the leader behind this, but I'm... a key player." I snarled and felt my aura flare up, ready to strike before she spoke again. "I warned you twice. I gave you the chance to come back with me, to become the strongest being in Mistral. We could have become something unstoppable, we could have ruled with iron fists! We could've become lovers again!" The amount of emotion she was showing was surprising, tears of anger and frustration forming in her eyes. I couldn't care less. "You framed me, you got me and my team expelled, all because you feared my power. You threw away our relationship of greed, you have _no right_ to call what we had love!"

"Yes, that was a mistake, and I'm sorry. But like I said before, join me and we can put that behind us. The first time I came to you out of nowhere, I did it because I had been aware of this, and I knew that you'd get caught in the middle of this." She put a gentle hand on the side of my face. "So _please..._ join us." I looked her dead in the eye and slowly put my hand on top of hers. The feeling was so familiar, that I closed my eyes and thought about the Kagome I fell in love with, the times we shared, the love we had... and how all of that was out-shined by one girl, one warrior who blasted through walls head-on. The feeling of her lips was still on mine, and the thought strengthened me. 'Ten times... I made a promise, and I intend to keep it!' My hand gripped hers, crunching down as she suddenly gasped in pain. The Grimm around us all roared and shrieked, about to rush forward at me before Kagome held out her hand, stopping them.

 **(Que Music: DBS OST: Jiren's Tremendous Power)**

" **So be it.** " My vision turned white for a moment as she smashed her fist into my face, _way_ more powerful than I was expecting her to be, and sent me flying back into the chest of and Ursa. I slammed into it so hard, I felt its ribs collapse as I crushed its heart. I quickly leaped to my feet, ready to fight the other Grimm, by they just cowered away from Kagome. Killing Intent flew off of her along with something else, the kind of power that made your skin crawl. " **I'll show you just how big of a mistake you've made. You'll never find the true extent of your power once I crush you with my own.** " Her skin turned grey, and markings not to dissimilar to may own began to slither across her body. G-W.A.T phased into existence next to her, his form shifting and bulging, the crown on his head forming into two curved horns. " **There is something beyond aura and a simple semblance. When you surpass those limits, you find what I call an** _**Awakening!**_ "

Normally her Stand would phase through her body, but this time, they squished together as their bodies turned pure black, like looking at a shadow before a wave of darkness hit me, her power blasting up and blowing me away. When the waves of aura died down, I couldn't help but gape in awe. Her skin had turned from grey to pure white, her eyes now black with red irises. The visible black markings on her pulsed like a heartbeat, and her dress looked like it was made out of pure darkness, its shoulder-length sleeves flapping in the wind. Finally were the two curved horns protruding from her forehead, and her power... it was unimaginable, unending like an all-devouring void. " **I think I've just come up with the perfect name for this form!** " He laughed, clenching her fists as she brought out her sword. " **Devouring Darkness. Yes... I like the name of that. Now then, who do you think you are to-!** "

"FULL POWER WRATH BURST!" I knew that against this, I stood no chance unless I went full-throttle. Everything was on the line here: the safety of the academy, the state of the entire world... my promise to Yang. Again, thinking about her only made me feel stronger. I stood my ground and pointed at Kagome. "I am Raiden Ryuka. I am the brother Kikoken Ryuka, son of the strongest woman in Mistral, Rei Ryuka... and son of the God of Wrath, Asura! I swear on my life, here and now, that I'll defeat you! _ **JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AAAAAAAM!?**_ "

* * *

 **(A.N: Aaaand shit gets real! Once again, sorry for such a long wait, and I hope you guys enjoy! Oh, and if you're looking for a visual reference for Tyrant, look at Dark Souls 2, the Pursuer. Peace out!)**


	24. Burning Rage!

**(A.N: Finally, after god knows how long, we're right back into the action! For anyone who wants a visual reference of Kagome's new form, think about Seven Deadly Sins, Meliodas' Assault-Form. Aside from that, not much to say except I own nothing except my OC's and enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Into the Dark**

 **Chapter 23**

 **Reunited...?**

 **An Awakening of pure rage!**

* * *

 **Artorias**

"I am starting to get _incredibly fucking tired_ of these things!" I snarled as I thrust my blade forward, impaling three Atlesian Knights before tossing them back at the Atlesian Ray. That thing just refused to go down like the other ones, it must have been the one which Ornstein was talking about: sleeker, better-grade weaponry, and far more durable. I could take it down easily if I wanted to, but if I released that power, I could end up hurting those around me. "You ain't the only one teach," Oro panted, his golden aura beginning to fade and crackle. "I'm pretty good at taking shots, but this is startin' to wear me out too." The Ray screeched and its face-plate opened up, its dust-cannon already fully charged. "Dammit! Auric Arte," He roared, forcing more aura out of his body and pointed his palms right at it. "Kong... Flash!" The two beams, one of red dust and one of golden aura crashed into each other with an echoing * **BOOM** *.

"G-go for its head teach!" He shouted, "I can't hold this up for too long!" Nodding, I dashed in and leaped up charging my blade with aura and bringing it down: all I got was a resounding *CLANG*, my arms aching as I barely chipped the armor of its neck. A portion of its wing opened up and multiple turrets opened fire directly on me. On instinct, I ran across its back and charged my blade with aura again. "Auric Arte: Wolf Hunt!" I shouted as I thrust my blade straight at a turret, spiraling aura finally damaging it and tearing it apart. "Everyone who's available, aim for the turrets!" I shouted. As it was, it was fruitless: everyone else was far too preoccupied with the hordes of Grimm and A.K's, even Ciaran was having a bit of trouble, since they seemed to be majorly targeting _her_. Claire was watching her back, her own short katana lashing out wildly with a fierce look in her eyes.

Even surrounded, Ciaran was still cold fury, surgically taking apart enemies. An Ursa slashed its massive paw at her only to be ducked under, its arm severed at the shoulder before its head was lopped off. She dealt with three A.K's instantly, kicking one's head off and cutting the other two in half. What she didn't see was one of them leaping in too fast for her to stop from behind. I didn't even get to shout a warning as it froze mid-air, surrounded in a teal glow and what looked to be... chains? Claire had her hand held out, glowing the same color. 'Thank goodness for a semblance like that,' I sighed as I went back to my own battle... and was nearly met with a missile to the chest. "SHIT!" I swung the flat of my sword up, knocking it into the sky before it exploded in my face. 'Pay attention you fool!' I scolded myself, a scowl forming on my face. 'Trust in Ciaran's... in everyone's ability! I have a job to do, and that's to destroy this thing!'

I let loose just a _bit_ of my Abyssal Aura, strengthening me massively. Blood-lust surged through me for a moment before I bit into my lip hard, quickly snapping myself out of it. I snarled and front-flipped to one wing, sprinting across it and tearing apart the turrets. My mind was in a bit of a haze, like I wasn't really in control of it. I attacked with everything I had, with wild slashes, punches, kicks, and I think my teeth as well? "I'll tear you to pieces!" I bellowed as I swung straight down, lopping half of its wing off with a *SCREECH*, the destroyed part crashing to the ground. I followed soon after rolling away from a ground-shaking stomp and returning with a slash of my own, tearing into its foot. 'This feeling...' again as hopped away from another stomp and flipped forward, ripping through part of its knee and forcing it to buckle. 'Damn, I''m enjoying myself!'

I leaped onto the nearest android and crushed its head underfoot, grabbing its leg and tossing it at the Ray's face, the mechanical beast recoiling. "WOLF-LEAP!" I roared as I somersaulted right into its face, carving right into its 'eye' before it shrieked and bucked me off. "Get down teach, I'll make an opening for ya!" Oro shouted as he sprinted past me, aura beginning to burst off of him.

"RAAAAAGH!" Oro roared, his right arm bloating in size before it turned into what looked like a slightly smaller version of his Great Beast form. " **MYSTIC ARTE!** " Moving surprisingly fast despite the sudden growth, her leaped straight into his chest, all of his aura concentrated right into his giant fist. " **KING KONG GUN!** " The impact didn't just damage the machine: it blasted it clean off of its feet and into a building. Not just that, it also cracked the armor of its chest, bent and warped metal plating flying through the air. "Go for it teach'!" He shouted as his golden form faded. The gear recovered far quicker than I expected, its right wing opening up and extended: there was a hum in the air as its edges glowed with crackling red dust... a giant dust-blade the size of a house! It raised its giant blade up, ready to strike it down and completely destroy anything in its way, including those behind me. '...Damn not using my power if it means people will get hurt!'

 **(Que Music: Dark Souls 3 OST, Soul of Cinder)**

"Sacred Treasure: RELEASE!" I pulled on the hilt of my sword and opened it up, revealing the heart of the sword within, charged with every single bit of leftover aura and magic that I have ever put into it or it has ever received via blows, raw power bursting from it and wreathing the blade in a mix of dark blue and black. I called upon a hint of my strength, the pressure of a Deity surrounding me and pulverizing the very ground, a wisp of my semblance surrounding my body in the visage of a giant black wolf's head. " **Though the sun has set upon the world and darkness has laid its shadow across the land,** " I called, everyone from the students, to the Atlesian Knights to even the Grimm themselves stopped, staring at me in awe. " **I shall never give into despair, nor have my will of steel break under oppression. I will endure, I will fight, and I will conquer until the sun shines once more. Hear the name of my blade, and with it, your demise!** "

The Ray roared at me, and I couldn't help but smile: this was too much like the times in the past when we were victorious in battle... and I aimed to take those times back. "Do it Artorias!" Ciaran shouted.

" _ **MIDNIGHT...HOOOWLLL!**_ " I swung my blade up with all my might, a wave of blue and black screaming through the air and slamming into something solid. The entire Ray was launched into the air with a *BOOM*, its Dust-blade shattered as it sailed all the way to Central Vale. That wasn't the concerning part: there was still something pushing against my blade... and winning! " **Come now Abysswalker!** " An all-too familiar voice said. " **What happened to that legendary, berserk strength that maimed Lord Grimm?** " I grunted in surprise as I was pushed back, the glow of my blade shutting off as I skid back, tensing my legs to keep my balance. Tyrant stood in front of me, pure evil radiating off of him. "What happened to attacking me after Cinder gets what she wants?" He only chuckled, " **Not here to fight fairly, remember?** " The expressions of the students changed from awe to fear as a Grimm unlike they've never seen before stood in front of them. " **To think, you could try to fool your students into thinking you're a normal mortal, when you could be so much more, Artorias!** " I froze as I heard the students begin to mutter behind me.

"Artorias... _the_ Artorias?"

"He looks just like the stories... and he's our teacher?"

"That sword of his... there's no way...!"

"I mean, we never got to hear his full name so..."

Tyrant turned to Ciaran, red eyes glowing gleefully as he pointed to her. "And you, Lordsblade Ciaran! Work with us, end this futile age of light and let the dark finally spread!" Again students muttered at her, putting the pieces together. "With us, you don't need to hide who you are. You can be known, respected, _feared_ like in your old tales! You can rule by each other's sides and become true Gods, unstoppable and unbeatable!" I gripped my sword and stood tall, turning to partially face the students. "...It's true. I'm Artorias the Abysswalker, and this the very same Lordsblade Ciaran." She walked right next to me, slipping her hand into mine. "But I... _we_... have a job to do. We're not interested in fame, or being feared. We especially have no interest with working with the likes of you, who only seek to destroy and prey upon those who cannot fight back!" We both turned to face Tyrant. "Students of Beacon Academy!" I bellowed, "As your Professors, and as Knights of Gywn, we order you to fall back! Save who you can, and make it to the docks. When this is over, we have much to talk about."

"It's our duty as Heroes and your Teachers to protect you," Ciaran spoke, shifting into her stance. I did the same, grinning slightly. To my surprise, one-by-one, students stood by us, Nora hefting her hammer, Claire swiping blood from her sword, and so on. "Did you not listen to us?" I said sharply. "Fall back, this isn't something you can attempt to fight!"

"Maybe not," Weiss spoke up, "But its also our job as _students_ to defend our school, and that's what we intend to do. Not to mention, it's an honor to work next to legends!" Tyrant shook with laughter before he took his sword off of his back, slamming it into the ground. " **Excellent! More lamb to the slaughter!** "

"You'll find that you'll have a harder time than you think!" I roared as we all charged forward. Tyrant suddenly shuddered and his armor bulged with muscle, the horns on his helmet growing longer and jagged before he leaped forward, swinging the flat of his blade almost far faster than I could block and knocking everyone else like paper bowling-pins, Claire sailing through the air like she was shot out of a cannon. Some howled in pain, the force of Tyrant's first serious attack enough to pass through aura and snap bones like twigs. " **I... _happily_ disagree.** " Looking at all the hurt and injured students, and then seeing Ciaran trying to stand protectively in front of them with a serious limp... something nearly snapped within me.

" **Okay then.** " I snarled as I finally let loose my true power, the visage of a growling wolf surrounding me. " **No more holding back, bastard.** " I nearly swung my sword as someone landed right next to me before I recognized it to be Rei, numerous bruises and cuts on her, despite how rapidly they seemed to be healing. Soon after, another figure laded next to Tyrant, a Deity armored in Mistralian robes and wreathed with white and black lightning, an absurdly smug look on his face.

' _That's... that must be Deus! Oobleck had told me stories of him, a mad God who ruled the east before Asura had personally struck him down. To think he's not only alive, but that he's this powerful!'_

"I think I require your help for this one, Artorias," Rei said evenly. "Two on two, seems even," I replied, shifting into a stance. " _Three_ on two," Ciaran corrected haughtily.

"Round two can _properly_ begin now!"

 **(Music end)**

 **Elsewhere...**

 **Blake**

I turned my attention back to the monster in front of me, protecting Yang's limp body as best as I could. Blood was seeping from my own stab-wound, but I did my best to shake it off... Yang was far worse. Black eye, several gashes, and half her right arm gone from the elbow. The moment she saw me and Adam, she had leaped in and put up a weak fight before she was downed. Adam slowly stalked towards me, his expression unreadable behind that damn mask of his. He stood over me for a second, and adrenaline blasted through my veins as I saw his grip his ninjato tightly. "...Why must you hurt me Blake?" He said, a genuinely sorrowful tone in his voice as he raised his blade. I'm... not entirely sure what happened next. I grabbed Yang by the hand and pumped as much aura as I had left into my semblance, launching the both of us across the destroyed room. Landing with a painful thud on the floor, I looked back just in time to see... us?

' _Wait... that's a clone of me, but... Yang too?_ ' I flinched as Adam followed through, lopping my 'head' off cleanly: right as my clone dissipated. Adam himself paused for a moment, looking at the clone of Yang for a moment before lightly poking it, that clone dissipating too. The moment he did that, I snapped back to my senses and picked Yang up, trying to haul ass away from him. I glanced to face him, seeing him begin to sprint right at me with a shout of "Oh I'm not done with you just yet!" A burst of pain cut through me from my wound and I stumbled, buckling and falling flat onto my face with a panicked cry, struggling to get up and get the hell away. _'Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHI-!_ ' Just as he was over us, the window closest to us shattered and something fast, small and... teal bodily slammed into him, knocking the two of them right into the center of the destroyed library.

"...Oh my God, Claire?" I said after a moment as she got up, blood leaking from her nose. "B-Blake? Is that Yang... by the Gods, you are both injured!" She ran us to us as fast as she could, quickly pressing her fingers into pressure-points and gently pumping aura into them. I gasped as both wound and Yang's stump began to heal fairly quickly, but pain wracked my system and Yang curled up, a pained look on her unconscious face.

"Cl... Claire?" Adam groaned as he tried to stand. Part of his mask was cracked, just barely revealing that all-too familiar shade of teal in his eye, surrounded by old, scarred skin. Claire turned ridiculously pale, her face going slack as her voice trembled. "B... _Brother_?"

'Brother?... Ozpin didn't say Claire's full name. Adam once told me about a sister he once had... and their eyes... shit, are you serious!?'

Tears welled up in her eyes before her normally even face twisted into a tense expression of cold fury. " _You_ did this," she stated, rather than questioned. He slowly stood up, a conflicted expression on his face. "Yes. I... told you before sister, I wanted the best for the Faunus, and the only way for that is to-"

"Screw the _entire world_ over by destroying one of the few huntsman academies!?" She said with a raised voice. "What happened to the brother that trained by my side and wanted to make things better for us with peace? What happened to the boy who couldn't hurt a fly? Who believed in doing what was right, the _right_ way!?"

"That boy died when he saw what we were going through!" He roared back, pointing to the scars on his face. "That boy, _died_ , when _this_ happened to him because of his kindness!" He settled down and straightened up, pointing his sword at Claire. "I _am_ doing the right thing, the way it needs to be done. Now, get out of the way, I have some unfinished business." His eyes softened as he said, "Please. I don't want you to die." Claire glanced at me and Yang, still in pain, knowing that we wouldn't be going anywhere for the time being. She breathed out and grabbed her blade, splitting it into daggers and getting ready. "If you don't want me to die, then walk away brother."

"You know I can't do that sis," His voice trembled as he walked forward, his eye moist. "So please forgive me." Claire was instant in her reaction, disappearing and reappearing in a crouch in front of Adam, her dagger glowing with aura. "North Star, Chest-Piercing Death-Strike!" Adam was just as fast, crimson aura wreathing his hand as it shot up and caught the blade between his middle and index-fingers, gritting his teeth before he held an open palm at her. "Heaven's Command Charge!" She disappeared right before a wave of carved through the library, tearing a clean hole through the wall. Right after, however, he fell onto a knee, clutching his hand and taking off his glove. He grunted as parts of his hand suddenly burst open, blood spewing from it. "Good to see you haven't slacked off!" He said before he pivoted and slashed just as Claire reappeared behind him.

She leaned back in time before dropping to the ground and lashing her foot out at his face, cleanly hitting him and sending him rolling across the floor, Wilt flying from his hands. He got up, a small smile on his face as Claire rushed rushed him. "North Star, Cross Slash Kill!" She screamed, blades glowing as she wildly slashed at him. He saw right through it and drew his fist back, pulsing with his aura. "Watch out, his semblance-!" I shouted, too late.

"Mystic Arte: HEART-BREAKING MOONSTRIKE!"

Horrified, I watched as the fist plowed through the air on course to her chest. Aura or not, it didn't matter when he hit you with his Semblance. I nearly screamed until Claire... stopped his fist. It was wreathed in teal chains, emanating an audible *Tick-Tock* sound. "Always too hasty to finish the fight, brother," Claire said, shooting her dagger right into his chest. Everything seemed to freeze as the blade went right through, stopping half-way as Adam choked, his eye going wide as blood leaked from his mouth. For a while, everything seemed stuck like that, right until Adam furrowed his eyebrow, confused. "...Sis?" Claire was crying, biting her lip, trying not to show emotion on her face. "...You beat me, now finish it," Adam urged, gently putting a hand on her cheek.

"I... do not want to kill you."

"You don't have a choice here sis. It's okay."

Her bottom lip trembled and she slowly put her head on his shoulder, weeping silently. "...Please forgive me." Her aura flared up and she yelled as she pumped aura through her weapon directly into him. This time, I did scream, "CLAIRE, NO!" Waves of energy meant to kill him turned from their teal shade into a violent blood-red glow, his semblance roaring with the stolen power. Claire stared in shock while Adam sported a remorseful face, saying, "I forgive you. That doesn't mean that I'll let you kill me that easily: I have a job to do for the Faunus." He put his hand on her head and made a quick push, sending her sprawling across the floor, completely knocked out. He stood there for a moment, basking in power before he breathed out, the glow fading away before he looked at me.

"...My work here is... still unfinished," He conceded "but I have other things to attend to." He turned away and picked up his weapons, walking out of the library. I wanted to sit there and cry, cry at my weakness, and cry at how Adam was right in that I was going to run again. But, looking at both Yang and Claire, I grit my teeth and powered through the dull pain, hefting Yang and Claire onto my shoulders and dragging them as fast as I could. 'I can't afford to cry now, I have a job to do as well!'

 **Rei**

"Come on, hit me!" I roared as I leaped over Tyrant's swing, giving Ciaran the opening to tear into his shoulder. He grunted and literally flexed his semblance, Ciaran's blades being stuck in the powerful muscles of his arm. With his Muscle Augmentation, he was far stronger and more durable than ever: still, all that extra mass made him sloppy, something which we wanted to exploit. I was quick to slam my knee in the back of his head before he could attack Ciaran. " **Stop flailing around like worms and then I'll oblige!** " He laughed right back. One small problem: he was insanely tough, and with that mass of aura within him, he was going to take some time to whittle down. "Ciaran, move outta the way!" I shouted, sheathing my sword and charging aura into my hand. She did more than just move, the moment she looked at me, she dived in between his legs as he slammed his blade down, slashing at his ankles and the back of his knees, immobilizing him for the moment. "Whatever you're doing, hit him and hit him hard!" Ciaran yelled as she leaped away. I just smirked. "That was the plan. **FINAL SHINE ATTACK!** " The beam of aura head him dead on in the back, engulfing him before going straight through his chest.

Even with nine-thenths of his torso gone, he just laughed and grew it back in mere moments. At the very least, his bone-plated armor was mostly gone (aside from his lower half and his cape, for some weird reason), but I doubted even that would do much good. Lemme go into a slight bit of exposition: the reason why the Continental Grimm are so feared by those who know of its existence is because of the face that they were once human, and they still have access to their soul, aura, and semblance, along with a massive power-up. Understand? Cool, now, back to us trying not to die. " **Nice to see you can scratch me in my _unstable_ form,** " He congratulated as he swung his blade at me, releasing a wave of Abyssal Aura. I managed to whip my own sword out in time to deflect it into the sky. " **I would like to use my Compact Form against you, but I want some fun first. _Then_ I will move onto Artorias!** " Ciaran promptly leaped onto him and repeatedly stabbed him in the throat.

Artorias had our backs, trying to fend off Deus' attacks and doing fairly well, no thanks to his reserves of strength even larger than mine along with the power of the Abyss being the natural bane to Deities. He ducked under a wave of lightning from Deus' Nunchacku, swinging full force-onto his chest. "I see that you live up to your reputation-!" Deus started, but Artorias didn't give him any time to rest, furiously spinning and slamming his blade down on his shoulder, slicing through a bit of his aura and cutting slightly into his shoulder. "Ciaran, switch!" He yelled suddenly. I thought that I was working pretty well with her: Ciaran and Artorias together worked flawlessly, Ciaran springing off Tyrant's shoulders as onto the flat of Artorias' blade. He swung and launched her right into Deus daggers-first, turning the swing into another attack on Tyrant, deflecting his attack and impaling him through the chest.

"Into the middle!?" Ciaran asked as she slashed across his chest. "Damn right!" Artorias roared before they tossed their respective opponents in between each other. Ciaran looked at him with a grin as they both yelled "Wolf and Hornet!" They danced around Tyrant's swings and Deus' blasts of lightning, Artorias tearing into limbs with raw power and Ciaran dashing in with quick slashes aimed at vital points. I couldn't help but laugh: it reminded me of Asura and I whenever we fought together. Again I charged up aura into my palm, waiting for the moment they were done. Artorias was the one who saw what I was doing and he engulfed himself on Abyssal power, prompting Ciaran to leap out of the way. "Midnight Blaze!" He roared, thrusting the blade forward, going straight through Tyrant's abdomen and piercing Deus' spine before a blast of pure black flames enveloped them. Tyrant grunted in surprise as he fell to a knee, Deus snarling as his legs buckled, the flames searing him even through his powerful aura. Artorias jumped right into the sky nodding at me, and I took it as my chance.

"Let's make it bigger: **FINAL SHINE ATTACK!** " I poured even more aura into it, the blast of aura now the size of a train as it enveloped both of them, ripping off more of Tyrant's armor along with his left arm and further depleting Deus. Still, they were both ready for it and had time to further strengthen their defense before it hit. As soon as I was done, Artorias kicked off the air and plummeted onto Tyrant, blade poised to chop his head off, the wolf-visage appearing to fall onto his with fangs bared to bite into its foe. Even with all the damage he accumulated, he just grabbed his giant blade and swung straight up, cleanly cutting into Artorias' side and sending him tumbling off to the side. I rushed in with Ciaran and crashed into Deus with a flying kick while slashed at Tyrant's wrist. They both healed themselves and were back into fighting-shape in a mere moment, Deus grabbing my foot and flinging me into the nearest light-pole, knocking the wind out of me while Tyrant leaned back and shot his foot into Ciaran's chin, sending her flying into a wall.

"Keep your filthy hands off of her!" He raged, his aura almost entirely black as it swirled around him. He sprinted forward and leaped into the air, quickly flipping and bringing the blade down Tyrant's own. The Grimm General looked shocked as he himself was being overwhelmed by sheer force before he was punched in the face by his armored gauntlet, the white bone helmet cracking slightly and sending him stumbling back. Artorias pivoted to swing at Deus' head, but the Deity simply disappeared, phasing behind the knight with an open palm on his kidney, lightning crackling around it. "Oh no you don't!" I yelled, whipping my blade out and forming a complete glowing katana before chopping at his hand. He quickly stopped and caught the blade with his free hand, shattering the aura construct but giving me enough time to duck as Artorias whipped around and, I quote, bitch-slapped him with the back of his blade, hard enough to send him spinning head-over heels through the air and through some trees.

Ciaran regrouped with us, holding her shoulder with a pained look on her face. The rage surrounding Artorias disappeared as he knelt to look her her. "Ciaran, are you...?" She nodded, gripping her shoulder and yanking at it with a quick *POP*. "I have been... in better situations." Seeing the worry on Artorias' face, she smiled and stood on her tiptoes, pecking him on the corner of his mouth. "Good to know that I'm in this situation with you, love." Artorias smiled back and refocused himself. I elbowed both of them, muttering, "Focus."... Granted, I was smiling as well. However, I felt something familiar at the edge of my aura, a raging spirit battling against something... evil, far too similar Tyrant's own. 'Raiden... his aura's dying out!' Just as I thought that, I saw two streaks in the sky, one orange one being pushed back by one concentrated, pure black one. "Kagome," I gnashed my teeth, ready to leap in and teach that girl a lesson on ass-whopping.

" **She'll make a fine General,** " Tyrant chuckled as he righted himself. He grunted and healed himself, the broken bone armor rebuilding and repairing itself in seconds. "Until then," Deus said as he floated down next to Tyrant, "It's _us_ who will conquer the world."

 **Raiden**

"Goddammit!" I roared as I swung my fist into her face as hard as I could. Again, she just took it with a smile: her aura, power, speed and semblance were so far beyond me, I wasn't able to even push her back. And that was at least fifteen minutes ago. Forcing myself to go at full power for so long felt like I was being burnt alive in every part of my body, the markings on my body like searing irons. I was pushed to the point of exhaustion so quickly, my lungs were roaring and I was gasping for air. Not to mention, all of the wounds on my body, multiple stabs in my legs, my abdomen pierced, left ribs snapped and my right arm broken. Still, it only made me even more pissed off. "I swear I'll KILL YOU!" I screamed, blasting Kagome in the chest point-blank with my gauntlets, still leaving her unfazed as she casually checked her fingernails. "You aren't really doing a good job at it honey," She said before she slashed me across the chest, blood flying through the air. What I had found out really quickly was that she can erase pretty much anything she chooses, including aura's defensive barrier.

I grabbed her blade and pulled her close to me, twisting and grappling until I was behind her before I wrapped my arms around her neck, pumping aura into my arms and my gauntlets as I tried to choke the life from her. This did have an effect; she coughed slightly and squirmed in discomfort. Even with boundless power, she was still at least partially vulnerable to basic bio-mechanics. Still... "Well, I'll give you this," She spoke, "You do have a knack for never giving in. Too bad I'll have to break you." She gripped my wrist and grunted, quickly pulled my arms away quite easily. "Still wide open!" I snarled as I shot my knee into her spine. Again, she just looked over her shoulder with that god-awful smirk before she let go and spun to face me, slamming her elbow into my cheek. My vision went white and I felt like I was spinning out of control, molten pain blossoming in my cheekbone. ' _Yup... definitely broken._ ' I grit my teeth and managed to right myself, my aura further fading.

Glancing behind me, I saw the air-docks not too far behind with Weiss, Ruby, my sister, Claire, Blake, Yang, and others. Something felt wrong, but I didn't have time to focus on them. 'Oh God, Kagome pushed me all the way here!? Nobody else, not even the Teachers stand a chance against this kind of power!'

"You know," Kagome spoke, snapping me out of my thoughts, "I haven't been very fair to you. So how about this." She floated a few feet in front of my and spread her arms. "Hit me right here, right now with everything you have. I still have yet to test how far this new power of mine can go, so hit me with your best shot!" At that, I didn't even hesitate, pointing both palms at her as I charged up as much aura into my weapons as I could, the dust-crystals throbbing with aura. "You're gonna regret thinking you can take this head on, I'm going to reduce you to ashes! **MYSTIC ARTE!** " Even with low reserves, with the amount of power that I was outputting, I was bound to push through or overwhelm her ability: she always had a _limit_ to what she could erase at a time, so there was no way this new power of her made her able to erase things infinitely.

" **CHOU KIKO-HOOOO!** " I blasted every singe ounce of energy right at her, letting loose with everything I had in hopes of injuring her. The sky lit up with an orange glow, going so far to bathe the ground below me in the same orange light, trees which were close enough to me catching fire from the heat of the blast and my aura. As soon as I couldn't take the pressure anymore, I stopped, arms trembling as I gasped for air. 'Shit... I put too much into that.' With all the adrenaline and rage having left with the effort put into the attack, I was now acutely aware of how drained I was. I barely had enough aura to keep me airborne, and my wounds were no longer healing, blood flowing freely from them as I started to float down. The moment I heard nearly insane laughter, my head snapped up and my heart dropped to my stomach. "I barely felt a thing!" Kagome laughed triumphantly, looking at her hands and clenching her fists. Thick, black smog and electricity crackled off of her white skin before she looked at me, her sneer as wide as ever. "Thank you Raiden, for pushing me this far. It's such a shame you didn't take my offer, you could have become so much _more_."

She suddenly appeared right in front of me, her blade slashing straight up. I was too tired to even react at first, and a moment later, the sight in my right eye went red before going black, a sharp pain stabbing into my head as my sight there was completely gone. I panicked and and shot my right hand out, missing her by a mile and she put an open hand in front of my chest. A ball of pitch-black fire formed in her hand, both searing hot and freezing cold, and I tried to protect myself as best as I could, crossing my arms over my chest and dripping almost every last bit of aura into it. "My power and heightened strength wasn't the only thing that I received. Auric Arte: Hellblaze!" It exploded point blank, and my mind when blank as I screamed in pain. It shattered my aura with such ease, my left arm erupting with a burning, crushing, freezing pain as I plummeted to the ground. When my eyesight (or half of it now) returned, I could barely move.

I had made a crater almost right in the center of the air-dock. Taking a quick check of myself, I knew I was completely out of aura now. My right eye was fucked, I had hundreds of wounds all over me, and my left arm... wasn't that bad, actually. My forearm looked burnt, most of the skin having turned a dark red, but the pain was still there, of not getting worse. "Brother!" I heard Kikoken shout as she ran up to me. "Stay... back...!" I yelled hoarsely, too late. Orbs of black aura rained onto the ground, bombarding students and teachers alike. "Leave my brother alone you bitch!" Sis roared, throwing her hand up and blasting straight up with her semblance, barely stopping some of the blasts and clearly causing her to strain with effort. Weiss was quick to try and back her up, creating a giant glyph in tandem with her gravity-barrier. Kagome just laughed again as she flew straight towards it, cutting through both the Glyph and barrier like butter before she landed, menacingly walking towards me. Again Weiss and Kiko stood in front of me, something in Weiss snapping as she yelled and thrust her rapier forward.

A large, intricate, concentrated glyph formed above her and a giant blade, at least three times my height, shot out right for Kagome. She caught it without even budging, but the surprise on her face was evident. "Summoning, hmm? I had heard that the Schnee family was capable of this, but to be so powerful yet undeveloped... interesting." Kagome promptly shattered the blade, blasting both of them away with her aura. She knelt in front of me, and as people rushed to protect me, I yelled, "Don't!" When that didn't stop the, Kagome simply looked over her shoulder and pointed her blade at each of them. "Come any closer and he dies along with every single one of you." When they froze, she turned back to me, glee in her eyes. "Do you see now? Do you see how far away from real power you are?" She grabbed my by the hair and turned me around. Everything seemed to stop for a moment.

My vision tunneled as I saw Claire unconscious, Blake kneeling and crying with her weapon pointed at Kagome and Ruby crouching over...

"Y...Yang...?" Kagome tossed me towards them, and I didn't hesitate, crawling towards her as fast as I could. "I-I'm sorry, I couldn't protect her," Blake said, but I drowned her out as I held Yang in my arms along with Ruby, who looked like she wanted to cry her eyes out. I saw her right arm completely missing, blood soaking the wrappings around her stump. I couldn't help myself as my throat went tight and my eyes, including my ruined one, welled up with tears. "Oh... oh god..." I wept, holding her close. 'All that talk from me, and I couldn't be with her to prevent this? If I wasn't so selfish I...!'

"So _powerless_ ," She mocked, "Both you and your new bimbo." I clutched Yang's arm tightly, and I couldn't help but let loose a small sob. ' _She's right... gods, to think that I'm so weak, I couldn't protect one of the people who I care about. If I was with Yang at the time, then I could've...!_ ' Kagome knelt next to me, looking blankly at the scene before her, black and red eyes regarding me. "You know, I'm sorry it had to be this way," She said, "But I did warn you. I warned you what would happen if you opposed us, opposed _me_. I can't say I blame you for being angry. I can't blame you for wanting to hurt me. But, you have to understand, this is business: you're all pawns in a game bigger than you can ever imagine. Of course there will be nameless casualties, and it's quite saddening that it has to be you..." She raised her hand, a single ball of her black flame roaring to life. Ruby was nearly instant in her reaction, whipping out Crescent Rose in its compact form and pointing it right at Kagome. "Leave us alone!" She screamed.

"...Nameless casualties?" I muttered.

 **Kagome**

 **(Que Music: Asura's Wrath OST: Asura Unleashed)**

"Just _business_? PAWN'S IN A _GAME_?" Something warm built up around Raiden as he shakily stood up. I blinked, and all of a sudden he was grabbing my arm. I was surprised to see aura begin to sputter and spark off of him when he shouldn't even have any _left_. "You... **_dare_ ** to call those who you've killed **_nameless_**?"

"No..." I breathed, my eyes going wide as I felt his aura begin to spew forth. "Before, I could **never** forgive you for what you've done. Now... you hurt my **team**... you hurt my **family**... and you hurt **the one I love...! I'm not just angry now...** " Everyone around us begun to back off, feeling a growing pressure in the air as the ground beneath his feet began to crack and crumble. " **I'm gonna FUCKING _KILL YOOOOOOU!_** " The moment he screamed, aura was _torn_ from his body, shooting high into the air as arcs of deep red lightning gouged chunks out of the ground. All of his wounds healed in mere moments, turning into thick scars. His markings were throbbing orange as more began to form on his body, longer, numerous and more intricate. He was screaming in raw rage and agony as he dropped to his knees, four circular markings on his shoulder-blades began to glow brightly. Suddenly, there was a loud tearing sound as out of the markings grew four arms, thick with muscle and coated in shining-black armament aura, the same coating his normal arms. Finally, as he stood up, something formed into existence floating behind him: a beautiful, spiky and metallic halo.

He stood there, bathed in the glow of his massive aura and cutting an imposing figure with six, powerful arms, glowing eyes and markings, and finally the giant metallic halo floating behind him... minus the black hair, he looked almost exactly like his father: Asura, the God of Wrath.

"You can't have it too... that's impossible, you can't have possibly have it as well!" I shrieked as his murderous power washed over me. "You couldn't have Awakened so soon!" His face seemed stuck in an eternal, demonic snarl, teeth bared, both eyes glowing brightly as he shed tears of water and blood. "Rai...den...?" Ruby whimpered worriedly, slowly walking up to him. "Bro... are you still...?" Kikoken asked wearily. Everyone flinched when Raiden looked at them over his shoulder before his expression turned slightly softer. He grunted, motioning for them to get to the airships. Kikoken instantly understood, using her semblance and gently grabbing everyone who was unable to move, floating them to safety. "Raiden," She called one last time, Raiden turning and aiming a stare at her. "...Kick her ass for us." His face quickly twisted back into a snarl as he nodded wordlessly.

 **(Que Music: DBS OST: The power to Resist)**

"There won't be an 'us'!" I shouted as I pointed my hand at her, charging my aura into it. Out of nowhere, my head snapped back from a sudden blow to the head and I stumbled back. I didn't even _see_ Raiden's punch, but I most _certainly_ felt it as I stumbled back. "How-?" I started before he roared and shot all three left hands into my face with a * **BANG** *, sending me flying back through the fountain, debris and stone launched into the air. ' _How can he push me back now? My Awakening should erase all momentum and impact!_ ' I didn't get a moment to rest as he rocketed towards me, screaming bloody murder as he drew his left fists back and sent them straight down into my abdomen with another * **BANG** *. At first, I didn't feel anything, but the weight behind him strike continued to push down, pain exploding in my ribs as they were snapped. I ground my teeth together and shot my palm into his chest, firing my Hellblaze at him again.

It was just enough to push him off, searing his skin through his aura, but he was healed in mere moments. He rushed me again, shooting straight down to try and crush me. "I'm not helpless!" I snarled as I shot straight up with my sword, stabbing him right in the gut. He barely flinched, grabbing me by the neck and slamming his lefts in my stomach, sternum and face, sending me skidding backwards, blood dripping from my nose. He charged straight froward and I stepped to the side, ramming my foot into his jaw, this time sending him tumbling back. He thrashed onto his feet like an animal, tearing up the ground before he flew right back at me, all six fists drawn back. "Auric Arte: Thousand Demonic Slash!" I roared, swinging my blade as fast as I could, meeting Raiden's own barrage of punches with a constant *CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG* of metal on metal.

Our auras clashed together, thick, roiling black hissing against bursting, crackling orange and red. He stared me dead in the eyes, swinging and kicking as hard and as fast as he could, almost no technique whatsoever, but he was evenly matching me. The ground beneath us shattered, trees burning and buildings beginning to crumble from our two powers clashing. Suddenly, something began to happen to him. The snarl slowly began to fade, his head shaking a bit before his eyes seemed... focused. Just for a moment, but it was there. " **God-Slayer Smash!** " He suddenly bellowed, three fists cracking me in the jaw. I nearly went unconscious from that single, powerful blow but I stood strong, slamming my elbow into his temple. This time, his eyes went back to being unfocused and his face went back into being a snarl. 'So long as he remains wild, I can predict his moves and beat him!' As he threw three wide hooks, I spun and rammed my foot into his chest, feeling the crack of bones before he flew back, embedded in a stone wall.

He screamed and his aura tore the structure apart before he flew right back into the fray, tearing a light-pole out of the ground and and flinging it right at me. I quickly waved my hand in front of it, erasing it before it hit me out of impulse only to be met with a brick to the face. Even though it didn't hurt, I stumbled back in surprise, my back to a tree. I barely weaved out of the way in time as Raiden punched three holes clean through the tree before I shot my foot straight up into his chest. Again I managed to break something, feeling bone snap under my heel like twigs, but it mended itself in seconds before he went right back to savagely attacking me. "Why don't you just give up and die!?" I screamed in rage and frustration, swinging my blade right at his neck.

He pivoted and lashed out in a heartbeat, biting down on Blackthorn. The move caught me off guard as I stared in shock, my muscles going slack for a moment. His fucking teeth glowed before his crunched down, my blade shattering as he tore it from my grip before he spun and slammed his head into my jaw, sending me reeling back. I felt any form of self-control over my emotions vanish, and I screamed as I went toe-to-toe with him. We tore into each other, aura, spit and blood flying as all semblance of technique faded into a rugged, rage-fueled beat-down...one that I losing. He threw his fists into my temple, stunning me before he swung his foot in a roundhouse-kick to my neck, sending me flying through a tree like it was butter ( _really_ hard butter) before carving a trail into the dirt.

Raiden followed me through the rubble, his aura violently tearing apart his surroundings. Instead of sprinting at me, he seized up as he fell to a knee, and I heard him mutter something in a pained voice. " **Con... trol...! Find... my... control...!** " When he looked back up at me, his eyes were focused once again, only his pupils glowing, but his eyes were blood-shot, filled with veins as blood spurted from his nose and mouth. " **...Kagome...!** " He bellowed sharply as he stood, fixing himself into a shaky stance. ' _He... he can't handle it! He can't handle trying to control that much power and now he's already weak!_ ' My thought was only further supported as veins on his shoulder and arms suddenly burst open, a scream of pain nearly bringing him to his knees. I leaped to my feet and sprinted at him, drawing my fist back as wreathing it in black flames. "You've gone far enough Raiden: I'm ending you here and now!"

He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, time seeming to slow down as I plunged my hand down, aiming to sever his soul from his body. His eyes snapped open once again, his aura suddenly pulled much closer to him. I gasped as I realized my mistake: I let my hastiness take over my sense.

 **(Music End)**

" ** _SHUN-GOKU-SATSU_!** " He shouted sharply, his Vajra gleaming brightly. Out of nowhere, thousands of aura-clad fists materialized around me before they all crashed into me, shattering my defense and the bone beneath it, pain blasting through me before I felt a tearing, blinding agony in my stomach. As I had regained my senses, I limply looked down, my eyes going wide and my lungs locking up: Raiden's fist went through my aura, my armor, and my stomach, blood beginning to flow from the wound. He promptly threw me off of his fist, my body bouncing painfully across the floor. "S... stay in organs... m-mommy needs you...!" I gasped as my head spun from pain.

" **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHG!** " I heard Raiden scream, all control gone as his aura wildly lashed out. He clutched his head as his power drove him insane, screaming as he fired off his aura randomly, carving through Grimm, Androids and buildings. Even with his incredible healing, his body was quickly beginning to fall apart, wounds forming faster than they could be fixed. ' _Wh... what kind of monster... have I created?_ ' I thought as he became more and more savage, releasing bigger and more potent blasts of aura. _'If this... continues... he may turn the... entire school to dust!'_ I quickly grabbed onto an Ursa as it attempted to flee, forcing it to stop. It realized who I was and quickly bowed, gently placing me on its back before continuing to run. Raiden turned to face me and screamed, beginning to sprint towards us with the intent to destroy.

I was about to fire off a wave of my aura when suddenly, the area was bathed in pressure. Similar to Raiden's but... far, _far_ more powerful and ancient. Raiden looked up into the sky before he suddenly keeled over, blood spewing from his mouth as his violent aura vanished along with his four extra arms and his Vajra, his wounds now healing quickly before he fainted. Crouched in front of him was a muscular man with tanned skin, filled with dull orange markings and white hair, his fist embedded in Raiden's stomach. As Raiden went unconscious, the man gently picked him up into his arms, standing up to a height of at least eight feet. He turned to me, glaring with nearly pure-white eyes, my heart stopping. Instead of finishing me off, he just snorted and let me go, turning around and walking towards the docks.

' _He... ignored me...!_ ' I thought, my rage boiling up. " _ **DAMN YOU ASURA! I SWEAR ON SALEM AND MY FATHER THAT ONE DAY, I WILL KILL YOUR SON! DO YOU HEAR ME!? I SWEAR IT!**_"

 **Asura, God of Wrath**

' _Why must the absolute worst scenario always happen?_ ' I asked myself as I flew through the air with my son in my arms. ' _I came too late: unleashing my full power here would destroy the school and might reveal the Relic. Not to mention..._ ' I frowned as I looked at my son again, even more markings seared into his skin. ' _Dammit, I can't even be here for my family when they need me!_ ' A large Nevermore dove right at me and I simply blasted it to ash, speeding over to the airship docks and touching down. The young ones around me stared in awe before my daughter and a blue reptilian Faunus ran up to me. "D-Dad! Is Raiden...!?' I shook my head, calming her. "He's greatly exhausted himself, and he's going to be asleep for a while. Get him out of here as soon as possible and take him to..." I drifted off as I looked at the bond between him and the Xiao Long girl, surprised to find how strong it was despite being unconscious.

"Hospitals in Vale and Patch will already have filled up by the time we escape," The young Rose said. "Get him and Yang over to my house, my dad has a load of medical supplies and he's really good at that stuff." She looked at me with teary but determined eyes. "I promise that your son will be taken care of Mr. Asura. We all owe him for saving us." I nodded and handed him over to the Faunus... who _also_ had a strong bond with my daughter... before he carried him quickly to an airship. ' _Eh, I'll deal with that later,_ ' I thought before I turned back to Rose, patting her on the head. "Thank you." I turned over to my daughter only to be tackled with a hug from her. "I'm glad you're back." I wrapped my arms around her, content for the moment. "I'm... sorry I took so long Kiko." She sniffled and looked at me with a small grin. "You've got a talent for showing up a bit late dad." She untangled herself from me and lightly punched me in the stomach, nodding to where Rei's power-signature was.

"Mom's in some trouble with a tough-ass Grimm and... well, you know who." I scowled and clenched my fists, my blood starting to race. "When I return, I need to talk to you," I said gaining her attention once more. "About that Faunus-boy you are with." She turned beet-red and I smirked before launching into the air, crossing the distance in an instant with a roar of " _ **DEEEEEUUUUUUUSSSS!**_ " He turned just in time for me to punch him square in the jaw with a * _ **BOOM**_ *, the shockwave, uprooting trees and statues before he was sent flying a good half-mile away. I pivoted and wasted no time rushing Tyrant, kneeing him in the chest and shattering his armor, winding him before I slammed a sidekick into his neck and sending him sailing head-over heels through the air in the same direction as Deus. Artorias, Ciaran and Rei all stared at me with massive smiles, and I shot a smirk back at them.

"What are you gawking at? We have a job to do, stay focused!" I barked. Ciaran being Ciaran dropped her grin and was back into the fight, Tracers raised. "Good to have you back Teacher," Artorias chuckled before he raised his blade. Rei gave me one look and I couldn't stop myself as I pulled her tightly to me, leaning down and pressing my lips to hers. She clutched my arms as she pressed back fiercely; I could _never_ grow tired of this woman. When we parted, she had that burning look in her royal blue eyes, the same that always set me off. "It's been a good few years, hasn't it husband?" She said cheekily. I allowed myself to smile, "Yes, it has."

"Forgive me, but what happened to staying focused?" Ciaran shot at me. I grumbled and untangled myself from my wife, getting into my battle-stance. Artorias was quick to dash in front of me, intercepting a blade meant for my chest from Tyrant. " **Hmm, I was wondering why that pressure felt so familiar!** " The corrupted madman cackled, pushing down harder on his sword, through Artorias did not falter. " **Now I can have _three_ heads of Gods hung upon the walls of my new home!** " Artorias grunted and spun, nearly lopping off his head as Ciaran tore his arms to ribbons. "You'll have to try much harder than that if you want our heads!" Sensing a spark in the air, I quickly shot my hand out right in front of Rei's face, catching Deus' fist an inch from her nose. Rei recoiled back in shock at having been caught off guard: Deus was taking this seriously now.

" _You_ ," He snarled, lightning crackling off of his form. I snarled right back, shooting my fist into his face, only for it to be caught, he floated down as we stood in our stalemate, pushing at each other as the ground beneath our feet began to give out. "Rei, there's a horde of Goliaths trampling their way through central Vale. I'll handle this." Rei hesitated before she shot her foot into Deus' stomach, sending him skidding back before she hopped and planted a light kiss on my cheek. "Don't get too beat-up, okay?" She said before she flew of in a trail of aura.I chuckled before turning back it Deus, both of us beginning to float into the air. "I'll be honest," He spoke, "I was hoping for you to arrive a bit later. Specifically when I would have your wife under my heel and the Academy burning to the ground, but it seems that-!"

"YOU TALK TOO MUCH!" I roared, barreling into him and slamming my fist into his jaw again, snapping his head to the side. He growled and shot his knee into my gut, but I quickly twisted out of the way and swing the back of my hand into his face, again knocking him back. "I don't care what you have to say. All I know is that I've gotta pound you into the dirt like I did last time, and for good! My old man was right, I should have killed you when i had the chance!"

"Yes, you should have!" He mocked as his power began to skyrocket. "Because I've been preparing for years for this moment!" Out of a pocket in his pants, he took out a golden canister the size of his fist, small openings in it glowing with white light. It took me a moment to realize what was inside of it, my entire body trembling with rage. "...You... _bastard_! HOW MANY!?"

"Exactly one million souls, all of them fallen hunters and huntresses. It took a long time to accumulate this, but I've finally done it. And now...!" He crushed it, countless orbs of light spewing from them before they flew into his chest. "This will be just enough to destroy you Asura! Behold, the transformation of a real-!" Again I shut him up, shooting my foot into his jaw and sending him straight up. Whatever he was going to unleash, it needed to be far away enough so that there was as little innocents caught in the crossfire. Plus, might as well not let him transform in the first place, because common sense. "I'll kill you before you get the chance: I won't let you hurt my family anymore, so prepare to die Deus!"

(TWBY Continued...)

* * *

 **AN: Finally, after God knows how long, I've finally managed to overcome writers-block and pump this chapter out! Funny, I've been thinking of how to write this moment for a year, yet I get stuck on it. Weird how some things play out, huh? Anyway, sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long, and it's good to be back! Enjoy and peace out!**


	25. The Grand Finale!

**(A.N: Heh, so ah... it's been a while (looks nervously at 'last updated') Okay, so I've been really lazy no thanks to writers block and shit, but I do hope that this truly grand finale to the Beacon's Fall Arc will be a great comeback! Enjoy after over 3 months of stagnancy!)**

* * *

 **[Into The Dark]**

 **[Chapter 24]**

 **The power of the Silver Eyes!**

 **The end of the beginning...**

* * *

 **Ornstein**

 **Beacon Academy Vault...**

I sat on the floor, tapping my foot irritably. I could sense all the power being thrown around in the battlefield above, and it was starting to drive me _mad_. I could feel a powerful Abyssal Entity, two Deities, Artorias tapping into his Sacred Relic and now Asura's child unlocking the power hidden deep within himself? I needed to be out there, fighting alongside my comrade and my sister! "However..." I muttered to myself, looking at the reason why I was here. Amber Autumn. Looking at her put my restlessness at ease, if only by a small amount. Ever since I managed to drive away the darkness eating away at her, her condition has been rapidly improving, her heart beating firmly, her breathing no longer raspy, her face much more relaxed. And yet despite that... ' _The amount of power held within her, and she doesn't even have half of it. It's like..._ ' The sensation of the power of Fall was... familiar, yet I just couldn't place it. It was like a stagnant flame, bathed in... well, _death_.

"...Eh, I'll figure it out later," I muttered to myself. Suddenly, I felt a few auras begin to exit out of the elevator and I quickly leaped to my feet, spear in hand and a snarl on my face. "It's us Ornstein!" Ozpin called out, Nikos and her partner Arc in tow, though it didn't make me feel any more relaxed. "Ozpin, what the hell's been happening up there!?" I barked at him.

"Too much. We have no choice now, we need as much help as we can get." I snorted through my nose and looked at Nikos, sadness etched across my face at the look on hers. She had her jaw clenched in preparation for what was to come, yet I could see the fear in her eyes. It was almost painful to see how similar she was to me. "Pyrrha... what's...?" Jaune asked, confused and scared before a look of understanding and shock crossed his face. "Was this what you meant when you...!?" She glanced at him, nodding stiffly. "Nikos, get in the pod!" Ozpin shouted as it opened up. She took off her shield and blade before hopping in. "Ornstein, Jaune, stand guard until it's done!" I didn't hesitate, spinning my spear and letting my aura loose. Jaune paused for a moment before turning and standing next to me, his blade ready. It wasn't long before we both heard the screams as the aura-transfer begun. Panicking, Jaune turned to help his friend.

"Pyrrha-!"

" _Don't you dare Jaune Arc!_ " I roared, making him freeze. "But-!"

"Yes, I know! You're friend is in pain, and every part in your body is screaming to help her... but you can help her and the world so long as you face forward! Besides," I snarled as a feminine figure carrying a bow entered, her eyes glowing with that same stolen power that resided within Amber. "We've got company." Cinder Fall didn't say a word as she leaped into action, her form blurring before she crossed the distance between us in an instant, an arrow pointing right at my face. I shot my foot out front of me, clipping her ribs as she spun out of the way in time, leaping up and slashing at my neck. I managed to duck in time, grabbing her by the leg and attempting to slam her down. She pointed an open hand at my chest and shot a ball of dark-looking fire point-blank, sending me backwards. Looking down, I was shocked to see that even with my armor having been improved, it was slightly warped from the heat. ' _Semblance? No, that and something else... magic?!_ ' Looking back up, again I had to weave out of the way of another fireball singeing my cheek.

Rapidly stabbing, I tried to close the distance between us, yet her ability to dodge was far better than I had expected. Sensing magic pooling into her hands, I stomped a foot down hard, tendrils of lightning shooting from the ground and right at her. On instinct she tried to intercept the bolts, but was too slow as they slammed into her. ' _Her aura barely took a hit,_ ' I noted, looking at the last-second shield of black glass protecting her. Over the edge of her shield, I could see her eyes looking at me with a sneer. I huffed and called forth a bit more power, lightning arcing through my vein as I raced right behind her in the blink of an eye, bringing my fist down on top of her head with a * _ **BANG**_ * of lightning, bringing her to a knee. "Don't think you're getting away with what you did to Amber," I snapped at her, grabbing her by the back of the neck and lifting her up, ready to skewer her on my spear.

She shot fire from her damn _back_ , forcing me to drop her as she pivoted and landed a swift kick to my face. As soon as she landed she was attacking from a distance, rapidly firing off a combination of aura and magic.

' _Time to go on the offensive, I can't give her room to use her magic!_ ' I showed off my own speed and dashed forward, thrusting my spear straight into her chest.

She crossed her arms in time and formed a black glassy shield as my spear shot at her with a loud * _ **CLANG**_ *, sending her flying backward and into a wall. She was winded, and I took that opportunity to tear into her, flying at her and slamming my foot into her shield again, shattering it and burying into her stomach as I called upon a bit more of my strength. " **Lion Knight Skill: Lion's Barrage!** " Gripping my spear in two hands, I spun it in blinding figures, repeatedly slashing, crushing and electrifying the False Maiden, chunks of stone flying into the air around us. I stopped my barrage of spins and wound up to bring my spear down on her head: she wasn't anywhere near as stunned as I thought she'd be. She used what I assumed to be a mix of her semblance and magic caused all the stone debris in the area to instantly melt and fly at me, perfectly scoring shots on some of the least protected areas of my armor, burning through the metal and searing my skin even with my aura.

The agony made my knees buckle and Cinder took full advantage of my weakness, leaping up and kneeing me in the nose. She was still quite far from my level of power, but she still managed to stun me before she unleashed a wave of aura that sent me tumbling head-over-heels. Jaune managed to jump over me as I did an involuntary barrel-roll, blade raised to slash at her. "Jaune, don't-!" I roared at him too late. His downward slash was done well, his full weight behind the weapon. It meant absolutely nothing as Cinder caught it in her bare hand, smirking at Jaune's gawking face. "Listen to your Deity. You're out of your league, _kid_." She drew her free hand back and backhanded him hard, sending him spinning through the air to crash headfirst into the floor. I barely got up in time to see a flash of heat and light slam into my face blinding me. I bellowed in pain as I clutched at my eyes until another massive wave of aura send me skidding away on my face: I could feel Ozpin take some serious damage, caught off guard most likely.

Barely a moment later, raw, unfiltered magic and aura exploded into the air around us, and it was then that I finally pegged what that familiar feeling was from earlier: that power was that of one of the original Four Lords, easily able to match that of any Deity. ' _This is... the power of the Gravelord!_ ' My eyesight returned to see Cinder with her hand inside the pipe connecting Amber's pod to Cinder's, and she was draining the last of the Maiden's powers, bathing the area in an eerie dark-grey and orange light. "YOU BASTARD!" I screamed, no longer holding anything back out of rage as I sprinted at her, ready to lop her head off her shoulders. When she turned around, raw power burst from her as her foot just seemed to appear in my chest, my left collarbone and upper ribs snapping like twigs, blood flying from my mouth as I crashed into the floor, rolling to my feet next to Jaune. Pyrrha made a quick escape from her pod using her semblance just before Cinder turned it into a steaming pile of liquid metal.

She turned to do the same to Amber, pausing when she saw that she was no longer in the pod. I had nearly lost it, thinking that she was in the pod before I realized that Ozpin was holding her in his arms. He was in terrible shape, wearing only his pants and shoes while bits of his suit clung to his gash-filled chest, slowly healing with aura. Blood was running from his mouth, his entire right arm sporting a nasty burn. "And to think, you were hiding this power right here, right underneath our feet! Such... _arrogance._ " She hissed at Ozpin, his face grim. "Ornstein," Ozpin said, "Take Amber and get her to safety, she may still have traces of the Seasonal Power within her. I need you to get to Mistral and go to Haven Academy. It's time I faced my fate head-on." I turned to him, shock spreading through me. "Ozpin... are you sure? It might take some time, but..."

"It's for the best Ornstein. Though, if you can, try to get back here as soon as possible. death may be an inconvenience, but I'd prefer not to die right now if that's an option." It was simple to Know that he was only joking: there was no way he'd survive this situation, even with his immense power. I nodded and gently took Amber from his arms, the woman shifting in and out of consciousness. "I will see you soon, Headmaster. I will never forget your kindness towards me and my comrades," I said firmly. Ozpin smiled back before brandishing his cane. "I won't be gone for too long, Ornstein."

"Jaune, Pyrrha, let's go!" I barked, the two of them hesitating, ready to fight by Ozpin's side. "Don't bother. You'll only get in the way." We quickly ran out, making sure to take care of Amber in my arms. Looking back just before the elevator doors closed, I saw the back Ozpin's calm, relaxed form with his cane in hand while also getting a good look a Cinder's mad grin, the stolen power of one of the greatest gods to ever exist bursting from her in a horrifyingly beautiful array of flame. The doors closed, and I let my anger tear forth. " **DAMN IT ALL!** " I cried, my fist ripping into the metal of the wall. Tears of frustration and rage spilled from my eyes and onto Amber's face. Pyrrha's face was hung low, her eyes hollow while Arc's was just wild with confusion, fear, and doubt. "M... Mr. Ornstein... who the hell are you? What the hell is this? What's going on?" He asked, his voice strained, and I could not blame him.

I snorted quickly, reigning in my emotions and looking him dead in the eye. "Arc, what I am about to tell you is secrets that in this time, people would kill to try and glimpse, understand?' He swallowed and nodded. "In your world, there are old stories, fairy-tales of gods and deities... and Grimm. I assume that you've heard of the Tale of the Four Knights? Artorias, Ciaran, Ornstein, Gough..." His eyes went wide as he put the pieces together. "You mean you're..."

"Yes, I'm _that_ Ornstein, Professor A is Artorias and Combat Assistant Ciara is _the_ Ciaran." He looked to Pyrrha, complete bewilderment on his face. "And you knew?" She just nodded silently. As soon as the doors opened, we bolted outside, thankfully running into no Grimm. Reaching for my pocket, I hissed as I saw how one of Cinder's fireballs managed to burn through both it and melt my scroll. "Shit. Arc, I need you to call Glynda or any of the other Professors available to aid Ozpin... if he's still alive," I muttered, lightning crackling off of my skin. "Both of you, get as far away from this building as possible and rejoin the fight with the others. I must get Amber to safety, she is still a highly important member of our group. Don't do anything stupid!" I shouted as I sprinted off, still doing my best not to let harm come to her. She was fully conscious now, though still terribly weak. ' _Aura and a week's rest should allow her to recover,_ ' I thought as I glanced at her.

"Y...you are..." My head snapped down in surprise at the sound of her voice, and I nearly ran face-first into an Ursa. Snarling, I spun and lashed out with my foot, kicking it's head clean off, only to be met with a whole pack of Ursai. "Child's-play. OUT OF MY WAY!" I bellowed, firing off lightning that carved through them like warm butter. Sensing one behind me, I whirled around to do the same until a small beam of flame shot out at its eye, searing it and sending the beast into agony. Again looking down in surprise, I saw Amber's index finger pointed, smoking at the tip. However, the effort behind it despite how small the attack was seemed to drain her severely, her breath faster and her skin sweating. "None of that!" I hissed, quickly diving into a hole in a wall of an ravaged building. "You've been weakened for a long, long time. I do not suggest you try to overexert yourself lady Autumn," I said as I slowly restored a bit of her aura with my own, strengthening her enough to talk freely.

"...You're the one who saved me, right?" She asked. For the third time the span of a minute, this woman surprised me. "I am just someone who wanted to help you, that is all," I replied, though I couldn't help but smile a bit as she said, "Thank you." It felt nice to be appreciated. "How do you feel? Can you at least stand?" She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I still feel weak yet I could probably stand, but how are _you_ still alright? Blood is dripping from your mouth and nose, and your left arm is shaking a lot." It was then that the rush of adrenaline I didn't know was running through me faded, and _waves_ of pain hit me, nearly making me black out as my knees buckled. Amber yelped and clung to me, quickly bringing me back before I could fall on top of her, no doubt injuring her. " _Motherfu-!_ " I spat, gritting my teeth as I quickly used aura to heal the damage. "That bitch's power was greater than I thought. Forgive me my lady."

"U-um, it's fine," She said, utterly bewildered by both me and our surroundings. "So... what on Remnant is going on?" She asked, a bit of fear creeping into her voice. A large Creep spotted us and charged, teeth bared before I incinerated it with a quick blast of lightning. "Beacon's been attacked, two Gods from Mistral are currently fighting each other, there's a Continental Grimm here and the power of a Lord has just been stolen from you."

"...That's a _lot_ to throw onto someone who just woke up from a soul-stealing induced coma," She snorted, annoyed and amused. ' _I like her,_ ' I thought with a small grin. "Still... I can't believe this is because of _me_. Why did _I_ have to be chosen for this stupid role? Why do I have to be the cause of so much _destruction_?" I could hear the strain of her voice, and I knew she was going to cry. "Amber Autumn," I snapped, startling her with the firmness of my voice. "Do not blame yourself for what you see happening here. As far as I am concerned, this was bound to happen eventually, whether it was you holding the power or some other girl. So keep your head held high, grit your teeth and keep fighting." She stared at me for a moment before a look of awe made itself present in her face. "You really are that Ornstein, aren't you?"

"Well, I'm fairly sure that I am the same person," I quipped. Amber laughed, a gentle chiming sound before she looked at her feet in surprise. "Oh, I can feel my toes now... oh..." Her face suddenly turned pink, and for a second I didn't understand why. "U-um... you wouldn't happen to have some clothes, would you." My eyes flitting down for a brief moment, my felt my cheeks grow warm: I had forgotten that she was wearing only cloth wrappings, leaving the rest of her tanned (slightly pale) skin exposed. "A-ah, I see. Just a moment." Gently laying her down, and quickly looked around, finding a flag of beacon having fallen to the floor. It was surprisingly clean, so I took it and tore off enough excess fabric to make a cowl of sorts and rush back to amber, gently throwing it around her shoulders to protect the rest of her modesty. "Thank you," She said gratefully, holding the cloth tight to herself.

"It is of no big consequence," I said offhandedly before I picked her up again. "You know, you're not as tall as the stories make you out to be," She said with a small grin, making me snort in annoyance. "I'll have you know that I am still quite tall, thank you very much!" She laughed again before I laughed with her, conceding to her joke. "I think we have yet to make formal introductions," I stated, looking around quickly to make sure we were in the clear before I stuck out my hand to her. "Dragonslayer Ornstein, a pleasure to meet you." She took my hand, her grip being decently firm for someone who's been in a coma for months. "Amber Autumn. I'm glad to have finally met the one who saved me from death." There was a loud * _ **THUD**_ * as a Goliath seemed to come out of nowhere, glaring at us.

"...I wouldn't really say that I saved you from death just yet," I said after a moment.

"Really now? I didn't notice, was a _bit_ too busy staring at the Goliath in front of us." It's settled, I very much like this human girl.

 **Ciaran**

"Sacred Relic, Release!" I shouted as I sprinted at Tyrant, sliding under a swing of his blade before leaping into him and stabbing my Golden Tracer right into his chest. " _BLOODBATH!_ " Black blood burst from the wound before hundreds of smaller wounds opened up, each of them spewing its own fountain of blood. Yet almost as soon as it started, the bleeding stopped as Tyrant grunted and his body tightened. " **Took a bit of damage there!** " He cackled before he swung his knee into my stomach with a * _ **BANG**_ *, breaking right through my aura and cracking ribs before sending me flying back. I managed to heal my injuries quickly before I was forced to back up some more as he charged at me. " **I'll still tear you apart for- GHK!** " He grunted as Artorias dove out of the air and stabbed right through his chest before roaring and yanking straight up, tearing him perfectly in half from the waist up. In a fascinatingly disgusting display, the two parts made a wet slapping sound as they merged together, even Tyrant's armor repairing itself again.

" **Hmm...** " The Corrupted Mortal hummed, " **I think we've been playing long enough, it's time that I end this.** "

"End it? The fight has just begun, you abomination!" I snapped, gripping my Tracers tightly. " **Can you not feel it, Lord's-Blade? The power of Fall in the air?** " He retorted, and indeed it was there, yet there was no warmth or comfort in this power. There was only pure death in the air and there was only one being who could have possessed that level of pure death was... "A Lord-Soul?!" I heard Artorias mutter, his eyes wide. Not to mention, the fact that I could feel that power clashing with Ozpin's own waning strength. The only slight sigh of relief was that Ornstein had managed to get away with what felt like the smallest trace of the power in his arms. But even then, that means Pyrrha failed to receive the power, and now the False Maiden has a damned Lord-Soul in her!

" **No more time to waste. I'll end your lives right here!** " Tyrant roared, hunching over as his body convulsed and trembled, pitch-black aura tearing through the air and the ground around us. I put my hands up to guard myself as his aura lashed right at me, far too fast for me to dodge. I yelped in surprise as Artorias knocked me out of the way and stood in front of me, taking the brunt of the blow on his chest. "Artorias-!" I cried out, thinking that he would be mortally wounded. But he stood there and took it, wincing in pain but otherwise standing strong. "I'm the only one who can properly withstand the Abyss," He replied grimly. I wordlessly nodded, frustrated as we were unable to get close to Tyrant without risking death. The darkness of his aura was so complete, I couldn't see through it, nor sense what he had become underneath. In a final burst of black, the ground lurched violently, trees ripped from the ground, stone and dirt flying through the air as Artorias and I were sent with them.

We quickly got to our feet, both of us allowing our own power to come forth in response to the sight in front of us. Instead of being grotesquely disfigured by muscle, he had instead become smaller, equal to Artorias in height. Some of his armor seemed to have vanished aside from his chestplate, leggings, boots and helmet. The horns on his helm had become much more jagged, and the missing sleeves showed off his arms, tight with muscle. "Don't let his size fool you," I said to Artorias.

"Believe me, I know."

The moment I blinked, Tyrant vanished. Artorias tensed up, caught off guard by the sudden movement. Just barely, I could sense the faintest wisps on something moving very, very quickly at Artorias. Going off of pure instinct, I dashed in and shot my foot out as fast as I could. Tyrant reappeared, catching my foot with his hand. "Too slow." Artorias instantly slashed down hard, blade singing through the air. A loud * _ **CLANG**_ * echoed through the air as Tyrant brought up his own, now smaller sword, blocking with ease. I snarled and twisted out of his hand, slashing at his fingers and down his leg, but my eyes went wide as I realized that I barely scratched his skin, his black aura flaring around the areas that I tried to cut. " **Weak.** " He brought his blade down at my head, forcing me to block only to get buried into the ground, pain jolting my back, arms and shoulders. Artorias roared and swung again, trying to knock him back, only for Tyrant to expertly block and counter with a quick thrust of his own.

The bone-white broadsword just scraped by Artorias' cheek, tearing his helmet off. I had to scramble away as they began to trade a terrifying display of sword-skills, blades ripping through the air and clashing into each other at speeds I was having trouble keeping up with. And the worst part? Artorias was losing. With every swing, Tyrant would perfectly deflect it and lash out with a quick attack of his own. With Artorias trying to compensate for calling upon more power and speed from his Abyssal Aura, he was sacrificing his technique and rational thought. What's worse was that he still wasn't as strong or as fast as Tyrant was right now. "Wolf Hunt!" Artorias bellowed, thrusting his aura-clad blade forward at his chest. Tyrant grunted gripped his blade in both hands, swinging straight up and knocking Artorias' sword skyward, aura firing off into the air. " **Still too weak!** " Tyrant snapped, stepping in and slashing down across Artorias' exposed chest. My heart stopped as his chestplate was sheared clean in half, blood flying into the air as the blade met his skin before he fell to a knee. I screamed and lost all composure, dashing forward and letting my blades fly through the air. They scraped uselessly across his skin and aura, but I didn't care.

" **Loosing your cool, Lords-Blade?** " He taunted before he began to dodge, gently moving out of the way of each and every cut and stab. He then began to fight back, doing a quick little slash that I barely managed to weave away from, slashing across the top of my shoulder and exploding in pain. The distraction was enough for Tyrant to slam his fist down on my face, my vision flashing white before I felt my body tumbling next to someone. My sight returned quickly, but I could barely move. Artorias was hunched over me, teeth bared as he pointed his blade at Tyrant. He had taken far more damage than I had initially through from their exchange: his body was covered in bruises and lacerations, all of them trying to heal as fast at they could. " **Well, that was shorter than I had hoped,** " He sighed, black smog blowing through the gaps in his helmet, eyes glowing red with boredom. " **I guess this is the end for you both.** "

He raised his free hand over his head, a giant sphere of pitch-black aura bursting to life and crackling with black lightning. " **Die.** " He casually dropped it down on us, and I screamed. Pure, raw agony blasted through me, every inch of my body being violently pushed into the ground. Artorias was the same, still trying to protect me but too wracked with pain to help, his own body crushed into the ground right next to me. We looked at each other in that moment, resignation in our eyes as we managed to scoot out hands and hold each other, waiting for death to finally overtake us.

' _It's... been a good run... Ciaran,_ ' I heard Artorias speak in my mind. ' _I... love you._ '

' _And... I you... Artorias._ '

"FOOOOORE!" We were broken out of our moment from a loud, all to familiar bellow as we looked up just in time to see Ornstein in his Giant-Form, his spear wound up like a club. " **What in-!?** " Tyrant started before Ornstein's spear slammed into him full-force in a deafening clap of lightning. No matter how strong Tyrant was, it didn't change the fact that right now, he was much lighter than Ornstein was. With a loud * _ **BANG**_ *, he was sent flying through the air, far _far_ away from us. The Abyss that surrounded up faded, and I felt like I could actually breathe now, gasping for air as I desperately drew upon my aura to heal me. ' _Starting to run low,_ ' I thought before I turned to Artorias, flecks of his pitch black abyssal power clinging to him and healing his wounds, albeit much slower than normal. ' _Seems like I'm not the only one._ '

"...So... no 'thank you for saving us, great Captain Ornstein?' Really?" The man gloated, making me scowl and want to hit him. "Shut...up," I growled, slowly picking my blades up and putting them back in place, standing up slowly and shakily before I fell onto my ass. "Thank you... Ornstein," Artorias groaned as he lay flat on his back. "You saved our asses." I was loathe to admit it, but indeed he was correct. Ornstein's face softened as he knelt down at us. "Seriously, are you going to be alright?"

"Eventually," I quipped before staring at him. "How are you in that form? I thought you needed the aid of another powerful being to... ah." It was only then I noticed the familiar olive-skinned girl on his shoulder, her hand glowing faintly as it pumped power into Ornstein's body. "Amber, you can stop now," Ornstein said firmly, Amber snapping out of her concentration and ceased the flow of power, Ornstein quickly shrinking back to his normal size, sparing his own aura and giving it to us. "So," I said, addressing the former Fall-Maiden, "Do you still have some of the Seasonal Power, even if it's just a trace?" Ornstein fixed me with the nastiest glare I've ever seen him give me, startling me with its intensity, and I could see why. Amber had hung her head in shame and I actually felt quite bad. The poor girl must be blaming herself for what's going on right now. Turning away silently, I looked at Artorias who was fully healed now, holding his armor and staring at it.

"We can find a blacksmith after this and repair it," I said to him, before he did something strange. He closed his eyes and held the broken pieces of armor together, allowing his Abyssal Aura to gently waft of his hand and somehow mend it, the metal slowly warping and fusing together. "...How are you...?"

"I believe I picked it up from Tyrant," He answered. "I just picked up on what he was doing with his aura somewhat." He slipped it on over his bare chest, banging on it twice just to make sure everything was in place. "Okay Captain, what's the plan?"

"Ozpin is pretty much dead and Beacon Academy is now doomed." He said bluntly, making us flinch, " We don't have the power to take on Tyrant, so as far as I am concerned we need to save as many lives as we can, hold off Tyrant and get the _hell_ out of here."

"But, this is our home!" I argued, appalled at his sudden surrender.

"Did you not hear me?" Ornstein said sharply. "Ozpin is DEAD! Our home is as good as fucked, just like our last one! History will always repeat itself, no matter what we do." He leaned in, snarling, but I could see the tears in his eyes before he managed to school his featured. "So grab your shit, because we're getting out of here..." He stood at full height and clenched his fist. "And we're going to Haven Academy." The order got me interested, and quickly I was able to piece together why. "Cinder Fall and Kagome Kuroken, right?" Ornstein nodded. "Ozpin never told me why, but I suspect it's for that reason too. We'll get to the bottom of who allowed this to happen, and I'll _gut them alive_ with my own hands."

I breathed out and bowed, getting down to a knee and surprising Ornstein. "Forgive me, I thought that you'd given up." He kissed his teeth and held a hand out for me to take, pulling me to my feet. "Please, I _refuse_ to give up. I'm a Knight of Gwyn, Captain to you ragged lot, so I can't afford to throw in the towel."

"Heh, that is good to hear," Artorias chuckled, patting him on the back before turning to the tower, eyes wide. At first I thought it was because of the Dragon having ripped off the top of it... and then I saw what Artorias was looking at, or rather, _who_. "O-Ornstein!" I choked out, pointing at the tower. He quickly turned and his face immediately went pale. "No... by the Lords, NO! You stupid girl, I told you to run away!" He roared, sprinting off in a burst of lightning.

 **Cinder Fall**

"Do you believe in destiny?" The girl had the audacity to ask. Destiny? It's been my _destiny_ to claim what was rightfully mine! "Yes," I bit back sharply, drawing my arrow back. I heard a light thump and a loud clank of armor landing not to far away, and I let my arrow go on instinct. "NIKOS!" The Deity roared at the arrow pierced the 'Invincible Girl's' heart, a choked sound of shock and pain echoing through the air. Smirking, I walked up to her and put my hand on her face, flaring the Seasonal Power and turning the former champion into ashes with a flash of heat, her crown falling to the ground. "Barely a decent challenge," I snorted before turning to the two newcomers, the Deity and Ruby Rose staring in shock and horror. "Now... who's next?" I taunted, floating into the air.

 **(Que Music: DBZ OST, Ultra Instinct Reborn)**

" **PYRRHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!** " The little brat screamed, her eyes glowing before pure white energy unlike anything I've ever seen before exploded from her eyes. "WHAT!?" I couldn't help but roar, crossing my hands over my face as I was nearly blown off the floor. The Deity did the same thing, putting up his aura to try and defend himself from the burst of silvery-white power. Tyrant's pet, the giant dragon screeched in pain as that silvery wave of power washed over it, its skin instantly blistering and boiling while it's bone-plating cracked and flaked away, nearly causing it to fall off the tower. A lash of the power raced towards me and I flared out my semblance, mixing it with magic to create a defensive glass bubble around me. ' _There's no way that it can-!_ ' My train of though was shattered as it slammed into my shield, cracks rapidly forming. ' _I-It's so heavy!_ ' I strained to keep the shield up, feeding more magic into it for as long as I could. I was lucky that I had an infinite amount to draw upon, otherwise I would have just wasted a massive chunk of it for defending myself against that little red-themed brat. As soon as it stopped, I let my shield down to see what exactly I was facing.

"...What in the name of the Gods..." I muttered, eyes going wide at the sight before me. The brat was floating in the air, her eyes spewing what looked like silvery flames, a face wet with tears but dead with emotion. Her scythe can grown five times its normal size, and had turned entirely white, glowing with the same energy that flowed from her eyes. Ruby Rose truly was the daughter of Summer Rose. "Silver eyes...!" I heard the Deity mutter. Everyone around us seemed to stop for a moment, turning to see the spectacle before us. Even the two fighting in the sky stooped, looking in awe at the girl. Grimm around us howled in fear and pain, averting their faces and covering their eyes. For some reason, I couldn't get a feel of her strength; that only made me even more curious. "Well then? Come at me, Ruby Rose!" I goaded, setting my feet apart and flaring my magic and aura to its highest, dark flames crackling in the air. It was probably one of the worst mistakes in my life.

 **(Que Music: DBZ OST, Ultimate Battle, Guitar only version)**

She closed the gap in between us in an instant, her face directly in front of mine. The sudden movement startled me, making me stumble back and barely dodging her foot flying right by my face before she pivoted and followed up with her massive scythe, swinging straight down. I summoned an equally massive blade of molten stone and swung straight up, the resulting clash ripping whatever was at the top of the tower right off, including the Deity that was with us. I grit my teeth at the raw power bearing down on me before I tilted my blade to the side and let her scythe slide off, shooting my fist into her stomach with my full power, adding a massive explosion to turn her to ash. A * **BOOM** * echoed through the air at half the tower was engulfed in pure destruction... and yet... "Tch!" I spat as I leaped away from a slash behind me that cleaved what was left of the tower in half. Hell, it could've cleaved _me_ in half. ' _I didn't even see her move!_ ' I thought before she appeared in front of me again slamming her fist into my face. What shocked me was that it hurt, and hurt _badly_ , sending me tumbling through the air and crashing into the ground.

I got to my feet quickly, leaping away as she came down with ground-shattering force, glowing eyes trained on me before she rushed me again, effortlessly spinning her scythe into a blistering combination of attacks. Again summoning a molten blade, I met each and every strike with one of my own, dark flames clashing against silver light. "Is this the best you have!?" I roared, parrying a swing and stepping in and firing a wave of black and orange magic at her face. She leaned back at a strange angle, he face still stone-cold as she allowed herself to fall, shooting her feet straight into my chest with a sharp * _ **BANG**_ *, winding me and sending me backward, though not before I managed to grab onto her boot and fling her straight through a building, the walls crumbling onto her. I didn't waste the opportunity I had, conjuring more raw magic into my hand and pointing it at the rubble. "This place will be your grave! **DEATHLY SOUL-SPEAR!** " I roared as I fired off a massive sharp projectile made from burning stone and black flames, racing towards to the mound of brick. The rubble exploded and in a flash of red and white, my magic was sliced clean in half, Ruby Rose standing there with her scythe pointing upward.

"H-how...? Damn you!" I snarled, embedding my hand in the ground and focusing my magic into it, the ground around her exploding with pillars of fire, many of them hitting her cleanly. I grinned at I saw her body limply launched into the air before letting a wave of wind and flame loose on her, the attack engulfing her entirely. "Be reduced to ash!" I laughed, pouring even more power into it, adding one last burst of it before she began to fall back to the ground. I didn't stop there, flying into the air and slamming both fists down into her stomach, sending her shooting straight into the floor, dirt and debris flying into the air. I landed right on top of her, my foot embedded in her sternum as I smirked at her unconscious form. "I don't know what you just did, but you're no match for my power. Now...!" I started before her eyes opened, silver flames pouring out of them once again. "SHI-!"

" **HAAAAH!** " She roared, her voice reverberating through the air as she shot her rose-petal engulfed fist straight up, the air-pressure alone blasting me off of her. She flipped backward and right onto her feet, dashing to me as she took her weapon out again, the meta quickly glowing white and silver. I ducked under another terrifying swing of the massive weapon, the blade, ripping through several trees and tearing chunk of a building behind me. ' _This doesn't make sense, I should be far stronger than her! I have the power of one of the oldest and most powerful Gods within me!_ ' I spat a flash of fire right in her face, enough to make her step back. "Got you now!" I shouted as I pointed my palm at her, a concentrated ball of fire within it ready to explode. She barely looked at it before she shot her straight up in a burst of petals, blasting my hand straight up before I could fire my attack off. Again she jumped and spun, her boot connecting with my face and whipping my head back. ' _WHY CAN SHE MATCH ME!?_ ' I screamed and rocketed my fist into her face, blood gushing from her nose as she stumbled back.

I felt pain race up my hand but I ignored it, bellowing as I used my aura to keep pushing her back, sending both of us through a line of trees before I launched her skyward again. I elbowed, kneed, kicked, punched, utterly throttled the girl, blasted her with magic and aura. All of it was clearly damaging her, yet she barely showed any emotion, trying to block with her scythe from time to time. I went in for another wide swing, only for her to disappear again, my side exploding in pain as I felt her foot embed itself in it. Her scythe was already clipped to her back, and now she was trading her own blows with me. She was sloppy, untrained, and quick clumsy, by she had sheer, blistering speed on her side. I barely managed to parry and block while trying to match her, managing to land a handful of strikes that barely affected her. Her foot snapped into my jaw, her fist cracking my rib through my aura, a big swing of her left twisting my head to the side. I snarled again and tried to blast magic in her face once more: she'd grown wise to the trick, disappearing before I felt her boot in her spine, my lungs locking up as I felt her power tear into me.

' _It's... it's not her physical power that's gotten a significant boost. It's her aura that's been increased and that silvery light itself that the seasonal power is weak to!_' I grit my teeth and pivoted just in time to see her use another wild swing: I was ready this time. I quickly flew in close to her chest and grabbed her arm before she could hit me, flinging her clean over my shoulder and straight into the ground fifty feet from the sky. "I'll destroy this worthless school, and you along with it!" I screamed, holding my hands above my head and putting everything I had into my next attack. A massive sphere of orange and black flames, powered by every ounce of magic and aura I could muster: I wanted to end her right here, right now. "This will be your grave, Ruby Rose!" The sphere began to warp and burst in places, the power I was putting into it beginning to overload it. ' _Perfect,_ ' I thought as I cocked my hands back to throw it.

 _ **"FINAL ARTE: DYING SUN!"**_

I threw it with everything I had, the sphere of destruction plummeting and landing directly on top of the brat. The stone around her melted, trees reduced to burning husks, any Grimm who were around us instantly dying from the release of energy. "Haha... HAHAHA!" I cackled, literally _cackled_ in pure, unbridled joy. "I WIN! Damn you Ozpin, damn all of you Deities, damn every one of you who think you can stand against us! WE _WIN_!" Barely a moment after I said that, rays of silvery light began to burst through the giant sphere, the attack beginning to break apart as the light began to break through it. "No... No-no-no, IMPOSSIBLE!" I screamed, already charging up more magic into the palm of my left hand. I didn't even get quarter way through before my previous sphere popped like a flaming balloon, Ruby roaring as she fired her silvery energy straight at me, the beam the size and thickness of an elder Goliath as it tore right through me as I tried to block it with one outstretched arm in a reverberating * **BOOM** *, my vision bathed in white.

 **(End Music)**

I screamed in pure _agony_ as I was drowned in pain. The only thing I could feel was pain, the only thing I could hear was torture, the only damn thing I could _think_ was agony, especially in the left side of my body, the same side that made first contact with her power. Though the blinding light had faded, I could barely register anything as I started to fall. I felt someone catch me in their arms, but even then I barely felt it as I blacked out, unable to even curse my loss.

* * *

 **...**

 **Three Days Later...**

 **...**

* * *

 **Yang**

I just sat there. I didn't want a bed to waste away on, so I took up a chair instead. I looked at where my right arm used to be, and I winced as I felt the empty space there light up in pain. Dad called them phantom-pains, and I suppose he was pretty accurate: it hurt like hell. For the fifth time in the day, I wanted to punch something, anything, but I just couldn't get my body to respond the way I wanted it to. Every time I wanted to get up, to start fighting again, everything just seemed to lock up, images, flashes, of what that Adam did to me. Yet despite that all, it wasn't the worst of it. The school's gone, the Tower's been destroyed, Pyrrha was killed and now... I felt my lip quiver as I carefully placed a hand on Raiden's arm. He was cold, normally warm skin now clammy. His breathing was slightly labored, brows permanently scrunched in an expression of pain. Ruby had woken up not too long ago, thank God for that, but... "I'm... sorry," I sobbed quietly, placing my head down on his shoulder. "If only I was stronger... I could've stopped Blake running away. If I was stronger, I could've helped you!" He didn't respond as usual, too busy trying to stay alive.

I heard a faint, worried call of "Yang?" For a moment, I didn't respond, too drowned in sorrow to recognize who it was right at the moment. Of course, I wasn't going to pass this up. "...Ruby?" I turned to see Ruby's shining eyes, a mix of utter relief and sorrow. She rushed to me and I turned, letting her embrace me while I just let your tears fall for the moment. "I'm so glad you're okay..." She said shakily, her voice cracking slightly. I let out a small huff and muttered, "No, I'm not." I felt her stiffen up before she let go, just standing silently and letting me talk. "Ruby, so much has been lost. The school, the Continental Transmission System, Pyrrha, and..." I motioned to the stump of my arm.

"Yang," She said firmly, "Where are Weiss and Blake?"

"... Weiss' father came for her. Whisked her away to Atlas where he thought it'd be safe," I said bluntly.

"W-what? Why!?"

"Rubes... people don't really understand what's going on right now. The last thing they saw before communication went dark was hordes of Grimm unlike ever before, White Fang rampaging through the school, Atlas Androids attacking innocents, _Gods_ falling from the sky and battling with each other. People are scared as hell right now sis... so he came for her and took her away."

"And Blake?"

"... she ran, Ruby." I said, looking away in shame. I tried to be angry about, I really did: this wasn't the first time she ran away from her problems. It would be too easy to get mad at her and lash out, calling her a coward for running, for not saying a word, for falling back to who she once was... but I didn't. I couldn't afford to do that, not now. I needed to mature quickly. "W-why?" Ruby asked, her voice sounding heartbroken. "I don't know sis. I wish I did but... Blake's got issues that need to be worked through right now. As much as she's changed, she's still Blake. If the guy who did this to me was the same one Blake was talking to us about back at Mount Glenn, I can't really blame her. I _kinda_ want to slap her though," I chuckled a bit. "Sun and Oro saw her go. From what I can gather, she's headed back to her home Menagerie, most likely for some R and R."

"...You're taking this surprisingly well," Ruby noted, and I laughed a bit at that. "Yeah, well... no use getting mad without knowing the fully story."

"Yang, come with me to Mistral." The sudden, firm statement startled me. "The people who did this came from Haven Academy, and that's where I wanna go next. I want to make sure Pyrrha didn't die in vain." I sighed and help Ruby's hand, squeezing lightly. "Rubes, I... I can't come with you. Not right now. I need to get my feet under me first, and I don't want to hold you back. I'm your big sis, and it's also my job to make sure that you grow up, that you get stronger and mature. Besides..." I looked back at Raiden, "I need to take care of him." She pouted slightly, a determined but slightly desperate look on her face. "O-Okay then, I'll stay with you for as long as I can!" I chuckled and reached out, squeezing her hand. "Alright. But don't just laze around forever, okay Rubes? I'll catch up, eventually." She nodded and was about to leave before I tugged gently on her hand. "I love you, okay Ruby?" She smiled sadly and just nodded, walking out of the room. It hurt to see her like that, the light of innocence having faded within her. I sighed and turned to Raiden, again trying to feed his body with aura.

It just devoured whatever I gave it instantly, yet his aura wasn't replenishing at all. "Dammit," I cursed, lost on what to do. "It's his Awakening that did that to him." I nearly leaped out of my chair, my hand up in a defensive stance. "Relax Xiao Long, it's only me," Rei Ryuka said soothingly. All I did was feel more shame. "Do not blame yourself for his current state," she sighed sadly, walking over to stand beside me as she looked down upon her son, gently placing a hand upon his forehead. "...Wait, Awakening? The hell is that?" I asked, and she raised an eyebrow at me. "Has nobody told you?" I shook my head, confused. "During the attack, after you had been... incapacitated, sorry," She said, trying to be courteous about my disarming, which I was grateful for, "Raiden had encountered Kagome, and he was nearly killed by her." I bristled at that. "During the fight, he was blasted all the way to where you and other injured people were being evacuated. When he saw your condition and when Kagome threatened to kill you along with everyone there, he... snapped, I guess is the best term for it."

"...Okay, so what's an Awakening?" I asked, trying to be calm, yet I wanted to cry and kiss Raiden so badly. "An awakening is when your Semblance pushed to its absolute limit, to the point where that limit shatters. It is then that you unlock the deeper potential within yourself, bringing out a power unlike never before. Raiden being a half-Deity has much potential within him-"

"Half _what!?_ "

"Half God, for a lack of better term." Again I turned around and I froze at the man standing at the doorway. As tall as Artorias, rippling with muscle across his bare chest, deeply tanned and scarred skin, dull orange markings across his entire body. Raiden was practically the spitting image of this man standing in front of me, a light pressure in the air around him. The only thing that separated the two was his stark-white hair and pure white eyes. "You're..."

"His father, yes." He answered gruffly.

"...Huh. I guess I should've figured that out," I said to him, prompting him to raise a brow. "What I mean by that is, he mentioned you once and he said I wouldn't understand if he told me who you were. It makes sense now though, that incredible strength, that feeling whenever he uses his semblance. To think you're his dad ain't such a crazy thought after everything that's happened." He nodded with a small hum before turning back to Raiden. "It will take time for him to recover," He spoke. "Unlocking that kind of power out of the blue while not having the body to withstand it takes quite the toll." He looked like he was about to get angry, sparks flying off of his skin before Rei placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him down. "H-how long will he...?" I asked, worried out of my mind. "Months. He will recover, make no mistake about that though. He's my son after-all. Also," He turned to me, a look of respect and gratefulness in his eyes. "Thank you for caring for him." I felt my cheeks go a bit hot at that, and I nodded slightly, looking away. ' _Looks like my recovery is gonna be... interesting,_ ' I thought as I looked outside the window, seeing a single raven staring back at me. ' _Very interesting._ '

 **Somewhere in Atlas...**

 **?Unknown?**

"Tch," I muttered, trudging through the snow, "Cheeky bastard left me to fend for myself huh?" It wasn't too long before I reached a small cave and sat my ass down in it. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a jar of honey and chugged it, relishing the sweetness before I put it back, now half-empty. I breathed in and out, thinking over what I'd felt going on at Beacon not even three days ago: Asura, the other Gods, another Continental Grimm... "Too much shit's going on right now," I huffed as I looked at my scroll, a single message from Qrow. ' **King is Down.** **Go to Mistral.** ' I sighed and thought about it: it was a pretty solid plan. Go east, regroup with Lionheart and see where we go from there. Not to mention, I finally had the chance to see _her_ too. I smiled a bit as I took out a photo of a small girl, tanned with long black hair and a kukuri knife that was far too big for her strapped to her back.

"Well, Jack's coming home, just wait for a little longer kid."

 **In the Red Desert of Vacuo...**

 **?Unknown?**

"HAAH!" I roared, shooting my palm out and blasting a boulder to pieces. I quickly flipped backward and threw out a bunch of kicks midair, landing and quickly firing an aura-blast straight forward. Using my hand, I willed it to turn around completely, racing straight towards me as I tensed up, the aura slamming into me and kicking up a load of dust . I breathed out, relaxing a bit. "You've been training since midnight." I turned around, smiling a bit at my wife, a stern but worried look on her face. "It's Beacon isn't it? You know that the boys are alright, they're strong enough to take care of themselves. Not to mention, Oro is under Asura's son, so please stop and get some rest."

"But I could've been there to stop it, or at least help! Now a Maiden's power has been stolen, Deus is back and too many have been killed." I said back, frustrated at myself. "Besides, I got a call yesterday from Sun... Asura's son is in a coma." She put a hand over her mouth in shock. "He's going to be going with Oro over to Menagerie, for some reason."

"Why Menagerie?"

"Hon' I ain't exactly the smartest person in the world," I chuckled. "But... I think I might know why. If they're headed there for _him_ , then I don't see why not. He can help them get stronger. But there is a few good things that came out of this. You remember Summer's daughter?" She nodded, curious. "She's unlocked the Silver eyes, and she's incredibly strong, she even beat the Maiden-thief too! Honestly, it's gonna be a while, but I can't wait to meet her. If she's anything like Summer, she'll go on to be amazing!" She sighed and lightly slapped me on the back of the head. "Alright, now stop fantasizing about fighting a little girl and come inside. You need a bath." I grinned and managed to relax a bit more, following her back to the house. "Okay Chi-Chi."

 **Somewhere in Menagerie**

 **?Unknown?**

"They have returned...!" For the thousandth time in three days, I couldn't help but feel utterly joyous, ecstatic, elated! "My dearest friends... thought, it will be a some time before I may see them. They'd probably slaughter me on sight with what I look like now," I sighed, somewhat downtrodden by this pessimistic but accurate thought. I paced out my shrine excitedly, occasionally causing spires of rock to shoot out of the ground from beneath me, the mountain seeming to gently rumble with every step. "Still, the chance to finally be freed of this cursed hold, to fight by their side against the forces of darkness once more! Oh how exciting!" I managed to calm down after a moment though, remembering what that accursed witch ordered to the other servants of the Abyss. "As soon as the Third Relic is ours, we devour all hope and sweep in, taking the final key to victory by force. Hmph, pretentious little..." I snarled, my aura flaring before I managed to calm down.

"...I have to prepare," I said to myself, looking to my giant bow lodged within a boulder. "It's soon time for me to escape. Damn the way I look, my comrades have returned. Even if Beacon is lost, we will still fight, and we will win!"

 **Artorias**

 **Two months later...**

"Their resilience is nothing short of _astounding_ ," I said with a small smile, watching as Ruby and the rest of team Juniper went off on a continent-spanning journey. "Though they have suffered loss, they will grow and mature from it, no doubt about that," Ciaran added, leaning into me. "But is it really wise to leave them by themselves?" Ornstein questioned Qrow, genuine worry in his voice. "Hey, don't worry about em', I'll stick close to the kids and make sure they'll be okay."

"... Is it wise to leave them without a _responsible_ adult?" Amber questioned, raised a brow at Qrow, who looked wounded by the accusation. Ornstein and Ciaran snickered while I nearly roared with laughter, patting the drunkard on the back. "I promise I'm gonna get you back for that Ornstein!" Qrow growled playfully, lightly punching him in the arm. "I'll hold you to that, old drunk." He kissed his teeth and leaped into the air, transforming into a crow in the blink of an eye before following the newly formed team. Speaking of which, I turned to Amber, putting on as serious a look as I could muster. "Well then... Amber Autumn. Are you ready to set out with us? The future will be harsh, filled with conflict, no doubt about that. Are you willing to walk alongside us, knowing that?"

She stood proudly, determined as ever. "I know. But... I was chosen for this, and I'll stick to it, even if most of my powers have been stolen. Besides," She looked to Ornstein with a thankful smile. "I think that you're the best friends I can have right now." Ornstein smirked and placed a hand on her shoulder, genuine pride on his face. "Welcome, Amber Autumn, to the Knights of Gwyn."

* * *

 **THE END... FOR NOW...**

* * *

 **A.N: First of all, I just want to thank everyone who stuck out with the long-ass wait and followed this story for as long as it's been going on. You have no idea how much that means to me. I'll hopefully be returning quite soon this time! I've already got the plans for the next part of the story out, which will be uploaded here, and believe me, that's where shit starts to get crazy. Hopefully you can guess who the unknown three are from the last part of the story: post a review and see if you're right! (one of them is pretty obvious).**

 **Also, just wanted to address a few things before I get my ass roasted. Firstly, Ruby does NOT have Ultra Instinct, no matter what song choice I put in XD. Also, I added in the fight scene because I felt that Cinder's injuries just didn't make that much sense from the end of Volume 3: how can you be barely ONE METER AWAY from that blast, facing it HEAD ON, and ONLY have the left side of your body injured? Of course, there's the argument of the little Grimm-Bug thing being inside her already, but still, I digress. And if people starts saying ' _RuBY CanNOT bE ThAt OP agAInST CinDER yoU IdioT!_ ' Then why did the blast cripple her so badly? The way I see it, the Maiden-Powers are _highly_ vulnerable to the Silver Eyes. I just wanted to make a cool fight-scene out it. ****And finally, I'm keeping Amber alive because I felt like there was a lot of potential in her character that was just killed off. I'm not gonna say what I've got in store for her, but just know that I'll do my best to flesh her out as much as possible.**

 **Anyway, that about wraps it up for now. Be sure to tune in next time, and peace out guys!**


	26. Return to the Show!

**AAAAAND WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! Again, HUGE thank you to all the support I've been getting on the story so far. So, going into what Volume 4 essentially will be covering, I need to make some things clear. No, I will not focus that much on team RNGR's adventure through Anima, mainly because I personally don't find too much to play with. In my eyes, Volume 4 was actually a really good volume in terms of building the world after the Fall, and team RNJR's trek was very wholesome. Everything else though... free game. And for those of you who were looking for more Dark Souls stuff? That'll come a biiiiit later down the line. Anyway, welcome back and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Into the Dark**

 **Chapter 25**

 **Welcome to the New World!**

* * *

 **Salem, Mistress of the Grimm**

" **...And so my Lady, I humbly request for a single drop of your mighty power in order to heal and release my pet from its... vegetative state. The Silver-Eyed girl has done a surprising amount of damage to Wyvernus, and has rendered him unconscious where I believe that he can be of greater use to us,** " Tyrant stated, his head bowed down respectfully. "Hmm," I hummed thoughtfully. "You have made quite a valid argument. Wyvernus still highly valuable to us, and it would be able to create much more negative energy via destruction." His eye glowed brightly and gleefully through his helmet before I raised a hand. "However. As useful as that would be, Wyvernus' destructive capability is not a card I would like to play just yet," I said, earning a curious look from him. "There is no doubt that the destruction now would be catastrophic, but with every militant force in Vale training its eye on Beacon, the slightest motion of attack will prompt a blistering retaliation, resulting in the loss of many of our forces, the full destruction of our new foothold, and possibly even Draconis himself. Not to mention, it would make finding the relic much harder than before."

" **I see!** " He exclaimed, bowing even deeper. " **Forgive my muscle-bound mind, Lady Salem. Your strategic thinking is absolutely flawless!** " I chuckled and had the Seer caress Tyrant's helmet, earning a surprised and pleasured shudder from him. "I will grant your request, have no doubt about that my loyal one, but I cannot play that card just yet."

" **I fully and utterly understand. I shall stand guard then,** " He replied firmly. " **Oh, and before you go, do tell my fellow Tyrian that I said hello. If you'd be so gracious of course,** " he added quickly, seeking not to offend me. I laughed again and nodded, "So I shall Tyrant. Stay vigilant."

" **So I shall my most powerful Lady. Farewell!** " The Seer's sight shut off and I made my way to my Throne Room, still pleased with the overall results of our attack on Beacon. Certainly, this was the most drastic thing that I've planned and paid off quite well. There were of course some unforeseen interference like Asura, his son's Awakening and the Silver-Eyed girl cracking the door open to her inner potential. But even then, it all amounted to nothing. With Leo in my grasp as well, Haven would be the next to fall. "I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS YOU SMARMY BASTARD!" I heard a roar from the Throne-Room, a familiar dark power flaring along with what sounded like the drawing of a sword. I sighed and shook my head, muttering, "Of course." I slightly picked up my pace, throwing the doors to the room open and causing everyone inside to freeze (aside from Hazel. The man never really moved if he didn't need to.) Kagome was being barely restrained my Mercury and Emerald, the two of their eyes wide at her absurd strength. She was snarling, pointing her broadsword at Watts who wore a confident smirk on his face. Cinder was far more composed, though I could see her fist clenched and her power beginning to spark off of her.

"That's enough," I snapped, everyone managing to settle down, Kagome schooling herself before she sat down angrily. I slowly walked around them, all of their eyes wearily on me before I reached my throne. "Watts. Must you be so malignant towards young Cinder and Kagome?"

"Forgive me my lady, I'm... not so fond of failure."

"Oh? And to what failure are you referring to?" He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Well... the girl with the Silver Eyes." I glanced as Cinder as I saw her fist clench. "Not to mention, the child of Asura." Kagome's reaction was much more prominent, snarling and flaring her aura. "In which case, I see your criticism as unnecessary. Cinder had become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and most importantly, killed dear Ozpin. Kagome herself had plunged the world into fear due to her brilliant actions, and has discovered her own Awakening."

"Still though," he said, "For her to be bested by a little girl-!"

"Indeed," Hazel spoke up, "We've dealt with their kind before, including Ryuka's Awakening. How was it that a novice was able to best one of us?"

"My thoughts exactly," Watts agreed sharply. "Even without her new abilities, Cinder should have been able to deal with her easily. Kagome on the other hand had goaded the power out of the boy, allowing herself to be defeated, much like her fa-"

"It is because of the maiden's power." I interrupted, forcing him to stop as I turned to speak to Cinder. "Make no mistake, you have gained an immense power, but it too comes with a crippling weakness. Learn to harness your gift, lest she destroy you with her own. As for you Kagome..." The girl instantly straightened up attentively. "Indeed, your newfound power is mighty, but to charge into battle against an unpredictable foe without even fully mastering your newest ability is unwise. For the time being, Cinder will remain here with to recover, while you Kagome will train alongside her for the time being." Kagome simply nodded and it was Cinder who scowled. "Now Tyrian, I wish for you to continue the hunt for the Spring maiden. Oh, and Tyrant says hello." He giggled maniacally and nodded. "Tell him I'm still winning our game."

"Watts, take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral. Ensure Leonardo is still within our grasp."

"Excellent, my lady," he said with a small bow. "Hazel, I want you to meet with the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus will arrange the meeting... the boy continues to prove loyal. Be certain that Sienna Khan feels the same."

"As you wish." I raised an eyebrow as Cinder raised a hand, motioning to Emerald. She whispered into her ear, and though I could hear every word, I said, "Speak child." She was nervous, along with everyone else in the room, exactly how I wanted it to be. "Cinder would like to know... what about the girl?" Watts scoffed, instantly earning a scowl from Kagome. "Pfft, what about her? It seems to me like that's Cinder's problem, not ours." Cinder was the one to react this time, slamming her fist down on the table, snarling. Watts only smirked, goading her to attack him. "Well Watts," Kagome spoke up, entirely poised and calm as she looked at him dead in the eye, "Don't you remember what happened with Rose and Wukong? They became a large enough problem that it took too much resources to just barely drive them back. Killing Summer Rose was something you all managed by sheer _luck_. Wukong _still_ poses a massive threat to us... do you really want to leave that to chance? Much like how you had become a disgrace to Atlas?" This time it was Kagome who was smirking, Watts wearing a small scowl.

"That's enough," I said, though I did spare an impressed glance towards Kagome, one that she did not miss. "Tyrian?"

"Yes, my lady?"

"Spring can wait. Find the girl that did this to Cinder." He giggled joyfully and clapped his hands, ecstatic. "... and bring her to me." His joy drooped somewhat as he sighed, before he grinned a nodded. "Now then, since that it out of the way... it is time to call in the others." I clapped my hands together, allowing my voice to boom. " **Loyal Generals of the Army of Darkness, if you are not disposed of, heed the call of your queen!** " Two swirling black portals next to me opened up, one of them gleaming with the light from Mistral, the other blowing in the chill of the frigid wastes of Atlas. Through them stepped my faithful servants, Nightmare from Mistral and Orion from Atlas. Both looked somewhat similar, yet complete opposites to each other aside from their similar colors of red, white, dashes of yellow and black. They were both humanoid, though Nightmare was tall and bulky with muscle while Orion was just under my height, more lithe and streamlined. Nightmare had an antenna curving back from the top of his head and nearly touching the floor, Orion having a long pointed tail that idly flicked as if he was a lizard. The biggest difference was their colors: like most Grimm, Nightmare's skin was entirely black, devoid of most bone-white armor. Orion on the other hand had the uncommon stark white skin, the sparse armor on his chest, head and shoulder-spikes being pure-black bone. Immediately I sent out my senses to find the other two, finding them almost instantly. ' _Kuroken's simply training, as per usual... and it seems that Brando is still searching for the [Arrow]... fine then._ '

As they bowed, my eyes narrowed as I noticed the minor injuries upon Orion. "What happened?" I asked.

"I was attacked, my lady," He said, raising his smooth head. "By Asura and Braxton. Have no fear, for I fended them off with relative ease. Oh, and my lady, if I may ask something of you..." I raised a brow, a small hint of fear in his eyes. "Go on."

"I would... like to change my name." Nightmare growled and whacked him in the head with his antenna. "Watch your tongue! Our queen gave us our names, you should bear it with pride!" I raised a hand, silencing him. "...Pray tell, what name do you have in mind?"

"My lady, I would like to go by a name that invokes a chilling fear in my enemies, even colder than my kingdom. I would like to be called... _Ize_." I stroked my chin at this: there was no doubt that it was indeed very fitting of him, better than my own I would admit. "Hmm... so be it. I am in a good mood today. I, Salem, hereby grant you the name of Lord Ize, last of the line of Frieza and ruler of Ancient Mantle!"

 **Kikoken**

"Okay, now how in the hell did I end up in _Mantle_!?" I raged out loud as I stomped out the airport, angrily making my away through a crowd of people who gave me a wide berth, thank god. "I swear to God, I'm gonna break something...!" I snarled, "I'm supposed to be in Mistral dammit!" I looked at my online ticket and nearly screamed in frustration. "Changed to Mantle? It changed while I we were ON THE FLIGHT!?" This time I did scream, losing my temper for a moment, my semblance flaring and causing the concrete beneath me to crack and buckle. "Hey, no semblance in public spaces please!" Some dude from customer service shouted... rather politely. I controlled myself and nodded, yelling back "Sorry!" Before going about with my business. ' _Dammit, I lost way too much time. It took months before a decent Airport was open, and by the time that came around Oro and Claire are probably at Menagerie right now._ ' I snarled, and for a moment I considered letting loose again, though I managed to reign myself in. ' _No matter. I'll just have to wait here for a while until another flight comes around. But where am I gonna hunker down?_ '

I thought about this for a while as I walked down the streets of Mantle. I was distracted, admittedly, the place was nothing short of beautiful, sophisticated and highly polished, people all around me walked in the sharpest and most expensive looking-clothing... but I wasn't fooled, not by a long-shot. I caught the withering and nasty glances cast my way through the window, towards my rough-looking armor and my more practical clothes. I ignored it for the time being, but there was no denying that it was _really_ annoying. I snorted as continued on my way, pondering what to do as I walked into a cafe, eyeing the menu and mindlessly ordering a sandwich. ' _I could go into a hotel here, but knowing that damned place, it's gonna be way too overpriced._ ' Reaching into my pocket and taking out my wallet, I eyes the fair amount of cash I still had (that I knew wasn't going to last in this place) along with the other thing. I bit my lip, conflicted as I stared at the black and blue card that had my last name printed on it.

' _I... could use it... mom's racked up an ass-load of money,_' I thought idly before I shook my head, determined. ' _No, I ain't gonna waste our money like that! I'm used to roughing it anyway, I've already done it for six whole months, so it ain't a problem._ ' A small, less practical part of me whined, ' _But a soft, Atlesian-Grade mattress..._ '

' _Shut up me!_ ' I scolded myself.

' _With first-class room service,_ ' I whined harder.

"God dammit," I muttered, thinking about how nice it would be. "Weiss probably has twenty rooms full of beeeEEEEOH SHIT THAT'S RIGHT!" I shot up out of my chair, starling everyone in the cafe, "All I gotta do if find a big-ass mansion with Weiss in it and she'll definitely take me in! Problem solved!" I cheered, chugging the last of my warm (not hot, thank gods) chocolate, stuffing my face with my sandwich and bursting through the door. I leaped into the air and activated my semblance around myself, flying into the air and quickly gaining altitude into the freezing air. "Okay, let's hop right into it. It's gonna be super easy, I just need to find a big Schnee symbol somewhere and I'll be good to... go..." I lost my voice as I looked over the horizon, and saw countless, _endless_ numbers of buildings with the Schnee logo plastered to the side, back and/or front of them. Not to mention there was also the _giant_ floating city of Atlas above us. "Ah... well shit."

 **Oro**

"You know bro, is it really a good idea to stalk your crush?" I sighed to Sun, "Dude, you should've left her alone, we got shit to do in Mistral. Claire and I are stickin' our damn necks out for ya here." Said girlfriend of mine hummed in agreement, an annoyed look sketched onto her normally passive face. "Indeed. It makes little sense to follow Belladonna when there are much more pressing matters to deal with."

"Hey, you're the ones who decided to follow me!" He argued, "It ain't my choice to get you two to follow me."

"Dude, yer' bein' a dumb-ass. I'm your little brother, there's no way in hell I'm just gonna let you wander off like that man. Bros stick together, remember?" He sighed and pat me on the shoulder, looking pretty guilty. "...Sorry man, I just..."

"Hey, don't get all depressed and shit on me now. The sad-stuff's out of the way now, let's talk about the good stuff: HOLY SHIT WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO MENAGERIE!" I cheered, now that all of that annoyance was outta my system. Claire sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead. "Dude, there's so much Faunus shit goin' on there, it's gonna be so fun!" Sun instantly brightened up, a giant grin on his face. "Damn right bro! Think about all the _food_ ," he said dreamily. Hell, he was startin' to make me hungry too. "You two are unbelievable," Claire chuckled, leaning on my shoulder. "But I'm glad that you are." I kissed her on the cheek and winked, "You _know_ it baby."

"Hmm. Though I must beg the question, what are you going to do after Blake finally gets back on her feet? You know that she will heal eventually, and she will grow stronger from this." The answer for me was pretty obvious. "It's obvious, I'm gonna catch up with my team and head back to Vacuo!" See? Told you it was obvious. But at he same time... I couldn't help but scowl a bit. If there was something that I didn't like about Blake, it's that she ran. I mean come _on_ , I get that you feel guilty for everything that happened, but that girl needs to get her head out of her ass and understand that this wasn't her fault. "...Hey, you okay?" Claire asked, noticing what was probably an annoyed look on my face. "S-sorry, I'm just..." I snorted a bit angrily. "Sun. I get that Blake is super-hot and a bad-ass and all. Trust me, _I get it_ ," I motioned over to my girlfriend who blushed a bit. "But... why did you pick someone so _weak_?" That startled both Claire and my brother, the latter looking a bit offended. "Hey, Blake is not weak-!"

"She's mentally weak!" I snapped at him. "If everything you told me about her is true, that's even worse! She get's found out to be a Faunus? She ran! Her team lets her know that they were there for her? She dragged her team into a war because she refused to listen! Her teammate gets hurt, and she runs again! Come on man!" Sun opened his mouth ready to argue before he wilted somewhat, saddened by the truth. "...Y-you're not wrong man," He sighed. "...I still wanna be there for her. She's done so much good too, and she's a good person." The determination from him wasn't surprising, but it made me ease off him a bit. "Okay, fine. But that's gonna be your problem to deal with, understand?" He nodded and grinned, leaning back and relaxing. We were kinda silent for a while before I raised a brow. "So ah, bro... do you mind leavin me and Claire for a bit? We're both still kinda naked." We all laughed at that, Sun nodding and patting me on the back one more time. "Alright man, I'll leave you two. Don't get too loud again, I'm pretty sure I heard some people complaining about a lot of shouting. Later!" We both waved at him as he left our room and went back to stalking his not-really girlfriend.

"I genuinely wonder if Blake just needs a long passionate night with your brother?" Claire wondered as she snuggled closer to me. "Intercourse _has_ shown to be quite and effective stress-reliever." I laughed again and kissed her on the forehead, earning a content purr as her ears flicked my cheeks. "You can be so weird sometimes," I teased her before I yelped as she pinned me down, straddling me with a cheeky grin and smoldering eyes. "Do you _enjoy_ it when I am weird?" He purred, licking her perfect lips. I winked with half-hooded eyes and a lazy grin. "Babe, I _love_ it."

 **Ornstein**

 **(Anima Continental Railroad System, 8pm)**

"So, you can't _stay_ giant is what you're saying?" Amber asked me curiously. "I mean, it seems like an incredibly useful power." I raised my eyebrow at her wryly, crossing my arms and leaning back. "Woman, do you realize how hard it is to be a giant? I mean, us Deities already have a far higher level of intake than normal humans. You do realize how much I would need to consume in order to maintain my giant form? Hell, even turning into it with your aid took such a vast amount of calories I was _starving_ for two days!" She laughed at my frustration, and I couldn't blame her really. "Sorry about asking you so many questions," She asked, a bit embarrassed, "it's just... not every day you come across someone from the past, one we barely even know about." I waved my hand and smiled disarmingly, letting her relax. "Don't worry about it Amber, it's actually quite pleasant to be asked questions such as these. It... reminds me of who I am and where I came from."

"...You're forgetting?" She asked worriedly, and I frantically waved my hands upon seeing the saddened look on her face. "Oh no-no-no, I don't mean it literally. I meant it in the sense that I enjoy looking back into the better times of the past." Amber smiled and nodded, relaxing again before she held out her hand, a small flame appearing in her hand. The smile dropped off her face as she studied it, and even I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "You called this... a Lord Soul?" She asked. "I know that whatever this thing is, it's powerful, even if its barely a tenth of what it once was. What _is_ it exactly?" Still staring at it, I had to tear my eyes off of it in order to look at Amber again: I felt like it would leap out and devour me if I wasn't paying attention. "That which you have... is the Soul of one of the old Gods from my time. If my suspicions are correct, that means the other three Seasonal Powers are the same. The one you have right now is the soul the Gravelord Nito. I've had the... pleasure... of being in his presence a handful of time when we served as Gwyn's bodyguards during his outings."

"...You make it sound like he wasn't pleasant," She said wryly and I gripped my hair as I curled up on myself, shivering slightly. "Being by him is terrifying," I shuddered, "He's just a giant skeleton... wearing skeletons! And a black coat!" Amber burst into wheezing, braying laughter at my fear, and as much as I wanted to argue with her, I wasn't exactly presenting myself in the most noble of lights, so I opted to just pout. Admittedly, I was a bit embarrassed, though seeing Amber laugh and smile like a normal woman was worth it. ' _Still,_ ' I pondered internally, ' _How did Ozpin manage to get his hands on four Lord Souls? As a matter of fact, where did he get them from?_ ' I got distracted as I felt a gust of air pass by me from Artorias' sharp punch. Looking at him and Ciaran, I raised a brow: they've been training like that for two hours straight. He would work on the accuracy and speed of his punches while Ciaran did everything she could to dodge, weaving and kicking off walls and seats in an effort so stay elusive. "You've got ten more seconds," I called out idly, and immediately they stepped up the pace to the point where Ciaran was starting to blur and fade from sight, Artorias throwing even sharper and deadlier punches.

"Aaand time!" I called just as he fired off one final straight-right, Ciaran just barely twisting her head out of the way. Both of them, even though they were covered in sweat, were incredibly unhappy. "What's wrong?" Amber asked, also picking up on their emotions. "...We just can't get any stronger doing this foolishness," Artorias spat, roughly sitting himself down on the floor and leaning against the wall. Ciaran huffed in agreement and casually fell into his lap, her dark eyes shining with distaste. "Indeed. We've seemingly peaked during our recovery in Beacon, but it's incredibly inefficient trying to just train now. Even if Lord Asura was free to help us, I don't think it would really do any good." Thinking on this, I unfortunately knew she was right. Paltry training right now would be a waste of time from us Deities, we needed to find some other sources of strength. True, while we only called upon our full power a handful of times, even that wasn't enough to deal with the threats then and there was no doubt that we'd face even more powerful and dangerous foes in the future. ' _However, while increasing our strength slowly isn't an option... an immediate increase in power would be good... ah!_ ' I remembered the story that Lord Asura's wife had told me about he son, Raiden. Though briefly, even I had felt the swell of power so massive (at least for a human his age) that it shocked me.

'Essentially breaking our limits hmm? Well if that's the case...' I pointed to Artorias suddenly, startling all three of them. "You smell like a wet dog!" I shouted.

"...Okay...?" He said slowly.

"And your nose is like a potato!"

Ciaran raised and eyebrow and me, and Artorias only looked heavily confused.

"...and you're terrible at growing facial-hair!"

"Hey, that's uncalled for!" He said back, more embarrassed than angry as he idly rubbed his smooth face.

"...Okay, that didn't work," I sighed, pouting to myself. "What exactly were you trying to do?" Ciaran said with an amused grin. "I was hoping that by some off chance my flawless insults would drive Artorias so mad that he's awaken a new power within himself." Immediately, all three of them burst in honking and braying laughter... like camels and donkeys attempting to sing. I sunk a bit further into my seat, embarrassed: their laughter, once again, was valid. "Well at least you tried Ornstein," Amber tried to seriously console me before bursting into laughter again, "But that was terrible!"

"So it would seem," I grumbled, "Now you two go and take a shower. And _please_ don't get loud again! I've been getting complaints because of you two, and it keeps everyone up at night." Both of them blushed, though Ciaran just grinned and grabbed him by the arm, yanking him with strength that belayed her size away to the bathroom. "They aren't gonna stay quiet are they?" Amber asked with sigh.

"No, they are not," I agreed. "I made such a big mistake when I chose not to have any outings when we were teaching at Beacon, those two are so pent up they've been going at it day after day! Good lord, I wonder how Ciaran isn't pregnant yet!" Amber and I snickered again but internally I did wonder, how wasn't she? ' _Anyway, back to the point, how are we going to increase our power so quickly? The boy managed to do so thanks to his heritage and potential, but us? I fear we may have already hit our roof... inversely,_ ' I idly let sparks dance in between my fingers, staring at them. ' _We haven't even scratched the surface of what we can do! My semblance may be turning into a giant, but my natural ability of producing lightning has so many more applications, I don't even know where to start..._'

"You know..." Amber started, looking at my hands. "Power isn't what you make it out to be. Like a bike or a truck, everyone is a bit different, but what makes it special is how you use it, _change_ it, you know? You already know I can restore things with my semblance," She said as she took an apple and proceeded to break it before using her semblance, the apple perfectly fixing itself in a soft orange glow. "On the other hand, I can heal people, perfectly fix something, turn dirt to stone. I never showed you _this_ on the other hand." She put down the apple and took up a lemon and a lime, squeezing with a bit of difficulty before managing to entirely make them explode, spraying juice everywhere. I snickered and she blushed a bit before concentrating, holding the pieces together tightly as everything was restored in a few seconds. She opened her hands and all I saw was a vibrant light green... _limeon_? She took her knife out and cut it in half, revealing the mix of light yellow and green sections within it.

"If the two things I want to restore are pressed closely enough, they'll combine... I'm not exactly sure what this can be used for though," she admitted, embarrassed. "Still, that's incredible, you basically created a whole new kind of fruit! We all know you can restore people, but what if-?"

 ***BANG***

The entire train seemed to lurch wildly, throwing us off our seats and into the wall. Amber shrieked as she crashed into my chest, and I heard everyone's screams from the other cars, screams or panic and fear. "Shit," I spat before I looked to Amber. "You alright?" She hissed and nodded holding her head slightly. "I-I'm fine. What about-?" Ciaran burst out of the bathroom with hastily put-on clothes, Artorias following behind her with only a pair of trousers on. "Multiple Grimm, all of them as C-class and above along with one Alpha, having trouble pinpointing wherever that is though." I smirked as we got up. "Nothing we can't handle."

 **Amber**

It was still shocking, honestly. Watching them prepare in a matter of seconds, calm and collected as they shot out of the ceiling-latch onto the roof of the train. I followed them as quickly as I could, yet they were already getting to work with practiced efficiency despite the lack of light we had. Artorias flipped into the fray with a howl, cutting down swathes of the stronger Grimm on the roof in seconds. Ciaran dealt with the fastest ones, her image fading into a hazy silhouette as she seemed to pass through them with a burst of blood. Ornstein was providing ranged support, blasting lightning into the sky to deal with the Griffin swarm. "Need a boost Ornstein!?" I yelled as I quickly blasted a fireball at a Nevermore diving in on his blind-spot. "No need! If you did that now I would crush the train, so find out where the train was damaged and try to restore it. Use the Maiden's power only if you absolutely need to!"

"Got it!" I sprinted forward and whipped out my new weapon, a high-quality dust-infused scimitar. A Beowolf attempted to leap at me with gnashing jaws before I danced by and cleaved it right in half. Two attempted to attack me from both sides, but a quick hop into the air and a spinning slash lopped both of their heads off. ' _Glad that paying attention to Ciaran came with some nice benefits,_ ' I thought as I rolled over a Creep and tore it down the middle. It didn't take too long to fight my way through and find the damaged section of the train: part of the car was basically torn open with multiple slashes, which was strange... first off, no normal Grimm would be able to get through this many layers of armor, and the slashes didn't look like claw-marks. They looked rather...clean. "Alpha?" I wondered, quickly looking up and dismissing the idea, seeing Artorias take care of the largest Ursa, no doubt the alpha. Focusing my aura, I called on my semblance and slowly began to restore the broken side, the warped metal smoothing out and knitting itself back together. Thankfully the passengers had fled to the other cars, and nobody seemed to be dead, which was a relief. Right before it was fully repaired, I swung inside, checking the car: it was a mess. Chairs were chopped into shards, almost every table broken apart, all but one light was blown out. No blood though, at least that was good.

I tensed up as I heard a very faint, muffled sob of a child coming from underneath a partially broken table. I gently lifted it up, finding a small shivering girl with her hand clamped tightly over her mouth. I smiled and held out my hand, saying, "It's safe kid, come on out from under there." She wildly shook her head, her eyes going wide with absolute terror. I was confused for a second before I felt warm, disturbingly clean breath wash over my cheek. Whipping around I lashed out with my scimitar, lighting it on fire and driving the Grimm back. It was humanoid, almost entirely pale white as it backed away from the light, its yellow eyes focused entirely on me despite the low hiss of pain, the pitch-black cape and hat it wore unnaturally fluttering and undulating despite the lack of wind. "Shit, a _Lurker_!?" Lurkers were incredibly rare Grimm that attacked wherever it was _dark_ , not necessarily at night. They were at least a B-class, and that's when they were young: this one in front of me was clearly an older one if the clothes signified anything. What made them so dangerous was their ability to freely travel in the shadows. Everything from the shadow of a building to the smallest shade of a flying bird, Lurkers were unmatched in their speed, power and durability so long as they were in the darkness.

"Thank the gods I've got a flame-weapon," I muttered, entirely on guard as it slowly stalked me, waiting for the slightest distraction. Deciding it best to go in, I stepped in and slashed across, aiming for its neck. Even with the fire from my blade, there was very little light holding it back. It shot a blistering array of swipes and punches, and immediately I struggled to keep up at first, backpedaling from its raw strength. Glancing at the flickering light, I quickly came up with an idea. I fired a very small amount of grey-colored lightning at the light, shutting it off for now and I slowly backed up, doing my best to hold my own. As I back-stepped and made a defensive stab, it melted into the darkness and shot out of the ceiling in a split second, its fist cracking across my temple and stunning me before it stamped its foot into my chest sending me tumbling right under the broken light.

It leaped at me with incredible speed, its opening mouth revealing a razor-sharp spike-like tongue intending to pump its poison into my veins. "Not today!" I shouted, firing my electricity up and turning on the light at full-power. The Lurker was trapped, and immediately screamed in agony, its skin and clothes beginning to smoke as it writhed on the ground. Quickly I raised my sword to behead it, but even the thin shadow from my sword was more than enough for it to escape, diving into it before ramming into my chest and blasting me through the ceiling. I landed hard on my back on the top of the train, coughing from the air forced from my lungs, though I quickly rolled to my feet and got ready again: there wasn't going to be any lights here that could really hold it back. The Lurker shot through the opening and flew right at me wildly swinging and tearing a chunk of metal almost clean off. Hell, it was so aggressive now that it grabbed an entire Ursa and chucked it at me, my speed just enough to help me dive out of the way. "Amber!" I heard Ciaran call from quite a distance back, rushing to aid me. Determined to handle this myself, I called upon just a small fraction of the Lord-Soul, the entire world lighting up in color and my body sparking with grey flames.

The Lurker attempted to smash me flat with a creep, but I dashed forward and cut straight down, my sword burning with grey fire. It sliced through the Creep like piano-wire, burying itself from the Lurker's collarbone all the way to its stomach in a loud * _ **SPLURT**_ * of black blood. It screeched at me in agony, trying to dislodge itself from my sword before I held my palm up at it. " ** _Mystic Arte: Shatter!_** " Its entire body froze, from its skin right down to its blood as I pulled my sword out, walking away as I muttered under my breath, " _Be gone with the wind._ " A moment later, the Lurker cracked like glass before literally shattering apart, its body dissolving in seconds as it blew into the wind. Ciaran was the first to reach me, a surprised and impressed look on her face. "Not shabby at all, Amber."

"Not shabby? Goodness, that was near perfect!" Artorias said with a grin, offering a high-five that I gladly accepted. "Yes, perfect... minus the re-broken car," Ornstein said with a grin, glancing at the two new holes in the train. I scowled and lightly punched him in the stomach, though I couldn't fight the blush of embarrassment off my face. "Sh-shut up! Don't treat me like a..." Quickly I remembered what I had forgotten. "Oh lords, the kid!" I sprinted and leaped down into the hole that the Lurker had made, quickly finding the kid again. "Hey kid, sorry about that," I chuckled, doing my best to be disarming. "It's actually safe now, you can come out. Promise."

"...P-promise?" She asked, still scared. I grinned and reached into my side-pouch, taking out the apple I had. "Pinky-promise kid." She slowly crawled forward and took the apple, whispering a "Thank you," before tackling me into a hug. I laughed and ruffled her hair before calling up, "Ciaran, let the passengers know its safe." She nodded, putting on her white mask and hopping in (Artorias and Ornstein following right after), walking to the end of the car and opening the door up. "The Grimm have been dealt with, it's safe now everyone!" She called out, earning sighs of relief and even a few cheers. "What about the damage to the cars' armor?" One guy in the back asked. I placed a hand on the wall and let my aura flow to the new hole in the roof, quickly restoring it. "Almost all of it has been dealt with," I said with a smile, calming the people further. "Rouge! Where's my daughter Rouge!?" The girl in my arms perked up and immediately flew into her father's arms with a squeal of "Papa!" The girl's father embraced his child tightly, tears streaming out of his eyes. "The pretty lady there saved me!" She said happily, pointing at me. The man practically fell to his knees, bowing to me and sobbing, "Thank you! Thank you!" I smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, letting him know everything was alright.

"Hey, hold on a minute!" A man called out, looking at Ciaran with suspicious eyes, "I _know_ you." Immediately, all four of us froze.

"...pray tell, who am I?" She asked firmly, taking off her mask to stare at him with a calm and cool face. Thank the Gods she could change her eye-color to disguise herself as human, otherwise her normally black and grey eyes would've gave her away.

"Yeah, you're definitely her! You're the one who keeps everyone up at night!" Artorias and Ciaran instantly turned red, the normally collected Ciaran averted her eyes from the crowd, who was all grinning and chuckling. "W-well... excuse my rudeness then," She apologized, incredibly embarrassed. "I will... do my best to be quieter next time."

"Next time?" Artorias muttered, unable to hide a massive grin that Ciaran caught sight of, blushing harder. "Dammit you two, this is why I told you to be quiet!" The atmosphere had now been completely changed, fear and angst replaced by relief, joy and humor. Honestly, this never got tiring to look at. "Enjoyable, isn't it?" Ornstein said to me as he sat on a chair, and I nodded. "You were right you know," I replied. "Nothing we couldn't handle." He simply grinned, patting me on the shoulder. "Of course I'm right, why wouldn't I be?"

"Your confidence proceeds you," I sighed, rolling my eyes, earning a cackle from him.

 **(15 minutes later, at the Anima Station number 4, in the city of Rodan)**

 **Artorias**

"Honey, please eat a bit slower," I sighed, "You've gotten food on your chin again." I couldn't fight my grin away as I idly picked a piece of spinach from her chin. She blushed and glared at me, more embarrassed than actually angry at me. "I know you're hungry, but you'll choke on something if you keep eating like that dear." She slowed down as best she could, before her mouth formed into a small smile, her eyes dilating as she looked at me. "It'll take something _bigger_ than a salad to make me choke love." I almost immediately spat out my water, my face burning as to how loud she said that. "C-Ciaran!" I said in a quiet and embarrassed tone, slightly... bothered... by it. "What? It _is_ true."

"...W-well I guess I shouldn't complain then," I sighed, grinning like a madman. Ciaran laughed and kissed me on the cheek, smiling softly in such a way that caused her face to glow. "You're so boyish sometimes, you know that?" Her smile soon turned to a salacious grin. "It almost makes me forget what that body of yours is capable of." I sighed and covered my burning face, trying to hide the combination of my embarrassment and grin. "I wonder if I should put it to good use then, right here and right now," I said as I stared at her. "How does that sound?" Immediately she turned red, and the tide of the battle shifted into my favor. Her witty and seductive offensive tactic was nearly unstoppable, minus one major flaw: she was incredibly weak to the exact same thing. "If you want me so bad, maybe we could... go for it right now, hmm?" I gently breathed onto her cheek and neck, forcing a shuddering sigh from her.

"I...SWEAR TO GODS," Ornstein roared, startling both of us. "It's like both of you are in _heat_! What is _with_ you two!?" He snorted out of his nose, annoyed while the two of us just sat there, sheepishly grinning. "I mean," Amber stepped in, "You _did_ say that they were far too pent up." Ciaran and I just sat there, embarrassed to no end. He huffed in annoyance before pinching the bridge of his nose. "...Just... control yourselves in public, _please_. Remember the _shower-incident_ back at Anor-Londo? Let's not have that happen again." Ciaran literally turned as red as a tomato, covering her face with her hands and curling in on herself while I couldn't help but burst into laughter. That was one hell of a time too: it was our third time making love, and it just so happened to be after a grueling mission together. We'd released all of our pent up stress in a bout of unforgettable passion... so much so that we had accidentally broke the floor and fell through it into the main hall by Lady Gwynevere's chambers. Whilst a banquet was going on. Fun, right? "You know, I _did_ manage to successfully escape with Ciaran," I said with a massive grin, only further causing her to shrink as much as she could. "...Artorias, you and Ciaran stumbled out the hall _naked,_ with a _roasted boar's head_ as a helmet, and in Ciaran's case she could barely cover herself with those slices of celery!" He shuddered and covered his eyes with his hands. " _Good Lords_ , I wish I didn't have to remember that."

" _Please_ shut up Ornstein," Ciaran whimpered, utterly devastated. Amber was literally howling with laughter, barely managing to stay on her feet had she not latched onto Ornstein's arm. "O-oh my Gods, what did you two do!? I mean, breaking a wall is like nothing for you three, but to do it while you two are... doing it... good Gods!" Ciaran turned positively red before she lashed out, leaping at Ornstein and letting loose with a barrage of blistering kicks and strikes, forcing him to back up and block. "That's it, killing you right here and now!"

"...Is she actually going to kill him?" Amber asked me, visibly amused and worried. "Oh that? Don't worry, she hasn't successfully managed to murder him yet."

"... I'm sorry, _yet_?" She said, her eyebrow shooting up. "Yes, she has tried to kill him multiple times..." I considered my words for a moment, "...That's incorrect, actually. I sincerely believe that she's just trying to maim him. Those two are basically family," I chuckled, turning back to the Continental Railroad magazine in my hands, skimming through the pages. "You know," I started, changing the topic, "This place still never fails to amaze me with the beauty held within it, despite the Grimm." Curious, she leaned over my shoulder and saw the pictures of some of Mistral's incredible landscape that was close by. The gorgeous mountain-range, vast stretches of rich green grassland dotted with fruit-bearing trees, beautiful canyons with blue rivers and small waterfalls. "Yeah, I've traveled through here," she pointed at the mountains, "There aren't many Grimm there no thanks to the lack of caves and people, but it's filled with life and materials too. Hell, Mistral's home to three of the Wonders of the World!"

"Wonders of the World?" I asked, curious. I've come across the term a couple of times back when I was assisting Oobleck in Beacon, but I never really bothered to check what it was about. "Yup! There are about seven right now, but supposedly there are more of them out there. It's taken literally two hundred years to find the seven, and that was out of pure luck. This magazine should definitely have them in it." She excitedly flipped through the pages, and before long, we reached it, surprisingly taking six pages up. "This one here is the Temple of Farram, an old God of War," She pointed at an incredibly familiar massive temple, the architecture undoubtedly done in the style of Anor-Londo. "I think... no, I'm sure that's the Temple of the Nameless! I heard back in our time that a tribe to the east, Forossa I believe. That's incredible, to think that these places are connected to our past!"

"This one is the Colossus Yhorm," She pointed at a towering statue, a giant in armor and a massive cleaver of some sort. "Hmm... never seen that one before," I muttered, though it was certainly a giant very similar to the ones from our age. "Apparently the statue itself heats up from time to time, so much that cracks appear in it and cinders spew into the air. It's considered good fortune when that happens, whoever touches those cinders can be healed of even the most fatal wounds and diseases." She flipped the page, and immediately my blood ran cold at the sight before me. "There isn't much information on this one, because nobody has ever entered it and left alive. People are only ever able to get close to it, much less find some kind of way up there, so there really isn't much information about it. Basically, the Hanging Garden is one hell of an enigma." Ciaran and Ornstein immediately stopped playing around, their eyes wide and trained on Amber, unnerving her. "... D-did I say something wrong?" In the blink of an eye we all were hunched over the magazine, looking at the picture before us. Undoubtedly, this was Oolacile, with its crumbling but still visible structures of vast buildings and the Colosseum covered in overgrowth and plant-life. Yet, we could also see the Grimm within it, literally hundreds upon hundreds of them swarming the ruins. The thing that struck us the most was its position, namely, floating thousands of meters in the sky thanks to the massive gravity and air dust crystals embedded within its underbelly.

"...I'm gonna guess that you know this place?" Amber offered with a small, nervous chuckle. "This place was the original breeding-ground and home to Lord Grimm himself," I said, my voice and hands shaking. "It's where I lost a dear companion and where I was nearly turned into... one of the Grimm." Ciaran's hand gently found its place on my own while Ornstein put a firm hand on my shoulder, slightly calming me down. "So this is the place where the _real_ legends about you ended. They... say that you died there, or that you were corrupted and driven mad."

"...That isn't incorrect," I sighed, blinking away tears forming in my eyes, "I _was_ driven mad, but what saved me wasn't just my own will: it was thanks to these two hitting me as hard as they could," I chuckled, earning a small grin from both Ciaran and Ornstein. "Well, looks like we know our next destination then!" Amber said in a cheery voice, snatching the magazine away from us and making her way back to the train. All three of us stared at her with open mouths, myself especially. "...Amber, you are joking, right?" Ciaran said uneasily, her grip on my hand tightening. "Not in the slightest. Those weapons of yours are Ancient Artifacts, aren't they? Who knows what we could find up in the Hanging Garden! To the one guy that _did_ survive, he found a staff that _strengthens_ Grimm and a small pendant that drives them back. Just _imagine_ what we can find there that can help us, not to mention you three have better knowledge of what's there than literally anyone else in the world!" Looking at Ornstein, I saw him put his hand to his chin, playing with his crimson stubble for a bit. "If I can be honest," I spoke up, "I don't think that's a bad idea."

"Artorias, are you serious?" Ornstein asked, his eyes wide with shock, "We could certainly handle ourselves there, and there's no doubt we could find some valuable information, but to force you to go back to-!"

"No, logically speaking, Amber is correct," Ciaran agreed begrudgingly, "Not to mention, the threat may not be as bad as it was back then, and there is no way that _he_ is there right now. It's an option I suggest we take Ornstein." He huffed again, though rather than annoyance he was rapidly running through the potential problems, solutions, and other factors that could affect us. "I suppose it is settled then," He spoke after a moment, "Artorias, as your comrade and Commander, I ask you this: are you ready to return to Oolacile?"

"Damn right I'm ready," I said with a grin.

"Good. You, Ciaran?"

"Where I family goes, I go," She replied firmly.

"And Amber..." He spoke once more, turning to the human vessel. "You're positively insane."

"Hey, I am _not_!"

 **(Patch, the Rose/Xiao Long household...)**

 **Yang**

It was like I had devolved into a shell. The shatter of glass terrified me, I would wake up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat clutching where my arm would once be. Every time I laid eyes on the training dummy in the back yard of my house, I shuddered. Honestly, every time I looked into the mirror before a fight, and I'd try to find Yang Xiao Long, the girl with the blazing fists, bright eyes and and burning aura. She wasn't gone, she was still there, just... smothered. Smothered by this _shell_ that refused to break. I felt my fingers grip into the wood of my drawer, staring into the mirror as my body trembled. ' _No, enough tears! I'm done crying, I need to move on! I made a promise to Ruby to come after her..._ ' I couldn't help it as the fight left me for the thousandth time, tears starting to gather slightly, "So why can't I move on?" I muttered to myself. Who was I kidding? It was pretty obvious, now that I think about it: I wanted to say to myself that it was because of Adam Taurus and what he did to me and to be honest, the thought of facing him again sent shivers down my spine and a jolt up the arm that was no longer there. I wanted to say he got lucky just because I was drained from the Finals, and my weakness was his strength against me. But those cold eyes of his staring me down before he massacred me were etched into my mind, almost haunting me. ' _Still gonna beat his ass for that,_ ' A small part of my mind growled. In reality though, I knew that Adam wasn't the full case: my eyes trailed towards Raiden, still in the same bed as he was four months ago.

Bit by bit, he was getting better, in a way. His aura had almost fully returned, but what was scary was what he physically looked like. Even though we were constantly giving him nutrients through an IV drip, dad going so far as to add some supplements to further try and sustain him, but he still had lost so much weight, it was scary. His face was more sunken in, his muscles having slightly deteriorated, and his tanned skin had now turned pale. Weirdly though, no matter the amount of nutrients we gave him, he never produced any waste, like his body was devouring literally everything it could to reproduce his aura. Gently, as I've been doing for the past four months, I kissed his forehead before walking to the living-room, landing heavily on the couch and staring into space. My mind was blank for now, that's how it was most of the time. That or just jumbled with a shit-load of thoughts. Every second of it was either mind-numbing or just plain terrifying. "All this power," I muttered to myself, idly raising my left palm and forming a glowing ball of aura, barely hot enough to singe paper but certainly capable of engulfing this house if I chose to. "And yet still useless."

The door to the house opened and I lazily peeked over the couch, my interest spiking slightly as Raiden's dad walked through the door. "Afternoon sir," I said halfheartedly. He grunted and nodded a greeting at me, his pure white eyes regarding me for a moment before bringing in the groceries, loads of plastic bags bundled in his arms. It was kind of amusing, seeing him act like a normal human doing everyday normal things despite being one of the most powerful people in existence. He idly grabbed a chicken-wing from the fridge, tearing into it in seconds and incinerating the bone with his aura. He sat down across from me, crossing his arms, closing his eyes and relaxing. Slightly. He was never really relaxed at any stage in time, but this was probably the most serene I've ever seen him. It was calming, actually, if not ironic since I was right next to the God of Wrath. ' _...He's a God, but he's so... human,_' I thought as I looked over his features. Tanned skin darker than Raiden's, white eyes and white hair, but overall incredibly similar to his son, or rather the other way around.

' _Has he ever felt weakness? Fear? Does he know what those are?_'

"You know," He spoke suddenly, startling the hell out of me and nearly making me leap of the couch. His voice always scared me if I wasn't expecting it: deep, rumbling and almost wild. "If you're just gonna stare at me and not say anything, I might as well leave," He grumbled. I waved my hand a bit frantically, genuinely worried about what would happen if I had pissed him off: if I could turn my house to dust, he could evaporate all of Patch if he so wished. "S-sorry sir, I just..." I trailed off a bit, hesitant to ask him anything. Hell, this is the first decent 'conversation' that I've had with anyone aside from my dad in months. "You can ask, Xiao Long," He said after a moment of silence, chuckling slightly. "It's a rare opportunity to see you be somewhat yourself, so ask." I was silent for a bit, surprised at how, no matter his voice, his tone was gentle and caring. "...Have... have you ever felt fear?" He smiled lightly, nodding much to my shock.

"You'd be surprised, Xiao Long. People call me a God, they'll never understand the weight that befalls someone with power like mine. Hear this: there will always be someone out there who is stronger than me. I don't fear them, I will never fear them." He leaned in slightly and pointed at me. "That's not to say you aren't allowed to feel fear, fear keeps you on your toes. What I fear is that my power isn't enough. That I'll fail those who need me to win. I guess you could say that's what keeps me going, if it weren't for the wrath that still plagues me." He gave me a knowing look, a strangely shaped eyebrow curling up slightly. "I think in that regard, you and I can agree on, yet it is _because_ of that you've repressed yourself."

"That's... pretty much me right now," I sighed, shocked at how insightful he was. "...You're a lot smarter than I thought you'd be, admittedly." I held my breath for a bit, hoping that I didn't just outright offend him. He barked a laugh, smirking at me. "You don't live for as long as I have and not grow a bit smarter," He retorted, before actually blushing a bit, an embarrassed look on his face. "...I'm honestly not the type to think with my head though, usually. I normally resort to just punching things, it's worked out a lot for me."

I grinned a bit. "Now _that_ I can support." We both shared a small laugh, and for the first time in a while, I felt myself relax a bit. "That's the face that my son fell in love with, isn't it?" He spoke suddenly, and I choked up a bit, my face growing warm. "...Interesting. I look forward to when you regain your true self, Xiao Long." Flustered as I was, I smiled a bit, sitting up and and bowing my head. 'Hope this is the proper Mistralian way to show respect,' A small part of my mind thought. "Thank you very much... for helping me, even if it was by just a bit." He smiled, a genuine one that didn't have any malice in it. "I'm glad that I could help." The door opened again and I immediately knew it was my dad. Excited, if his plodding footsteps said anything. "Hey dad," I hollered, smiling at the dopey look on his face, probably had something to do with that shoe-box in his hand. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at the box again. ' _Not a shoe-box, it's a bit too long for that._ '

"Hey-o Yang! I've got a surprise for... you." He stopped as he looked at Asura, pleasant surprise on his face. "Ah, hey Asura. Wasn't expecting to see you again! Oh, and thanks for getting all the groceries too, you didn't have to man." Asura simply nodded, smiling again. "I owe you for taking my son in Taiyang. It's really one of the few places I could go to without getting spotted by the masses." Dad blinked, thinking for a bit. "...Wait, so how did you manage to get the groceries?"

"I can pass myself as human because I _am_ a human, Taiyang," He said simply, closing his eyes for a moment before his body suddenly shrunk, going from almost eight feet tall to six. "Time out... what?" I muttered, completely confused. Asura only smirked as he looked back at me, his pure white eyes now replaced by soothing crimson ones, not too different from mine or my mother's, but a slightly darker shade that seemed... peaceful. "Long story short, I have no idea either, I've only been able to do this since I met my wife really. Don't really think about it so much, hurts my head." We all laughed at that, but I still stowed that little piece of info away. "Anyway, something came in the mail today, a special order just for you!" Dad said with a big goofy grin placing the box on my lap. Curious, I opened it and my throat locked up as I saw the sleek prosthetic arm within. Pure Sacred Silver, a metal that was almost unmatched in its auric conductivity and strength, while staying lightweight and easily maintainable: in short, this was a combat-prosthetic. "It's from Ironwood himself, he felt the need to give it to you after he heard what happened."

"Dad I..." I stopped myself for a bit.

"You don't need to put it on right now," He said quickly, "But it's just whenever you're ready to get back on your feet." I sat there for a moment, looking at it and trying to steady my breathing. "Dad... I lost a part of myself, all because of my own weakness. Slapping on a new part isn't gonna help," I snapped a bit, my throat quivering a bit as my eyes turned a bit hot. "You don't think your father knows that?" Asura said back sharply, startling the hell out of me again. "Of course it's not going to magically repair what was lost! The question is whether you can grow past that, and rise above it, arm or no arm. The _question_ is if you can take that first step to recovering who _you_ are?" I was stunned again by just how straightforward he was, and how _right_ he was. Here I was wallowing in my weakness, when in reality I needed to push past it if I wanted to make a change. "It's time for Yang Xiao Long to make a return, don't you think?" Dad said softly, leaning over the couch and putting a gentle hand on

"...You know what? You're both right. This isn't going to be easy or straightforward, it's not gonna happen overnight, but... I'm willing to try," I said, reaching for the prosthetic. It was then that everyone in the house froze: pure hatred, rage, and _anguish_ radiated throughout the entire house before all of us felt an explosion of aura that cracked glass and shook walls.

" _ **KAAAAGOOOOMEEEEE!**_ "

 **[TWBY Continued...]**

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 **A.N: Sooo... anyone else disappointed by the finale of Volume 6? Don't get me wrong, I personally think that the majority of the volume was great improvement from the last one, but there still are several problems that weigh it down, the finale and the Adam conclusion being some of them. Lemme know your thoughts! Also, again so sorry for the incredibly late chapter (before new-years my _ass_ XD) but I hope you enjoy the Volume 4 intro, please leave a Fav, Follow and review what you think. Peace out! **


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